The Flowers Will Grow
by Inuzuka Notori
Summary: The life of ShizNat if the series continued and was based around them. Writing it as ideas come to my head, anything can happen! Slight OOC. Some events in ep. 26 are different. See profile for full summary.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME.

A/N: Sorry for the angsty-ness in the first chapter. For those of you who have been reading this since the beginning, you'll notice that I morphed the first four chapters together to make it easier to read and be able to say it's a humour fic instead of having four chapters of angst. That being said I'd like to thank some people.

**Thank you to rainee-chan, SychoBabbleX, Bad one, volk83, Yumiko Himemiya, SpiderLilies2007, Ayou, chatterbox-hikaru13, Swarm012, moonfreckle, kiangs, lindred, mantikora, and everyone else who read the first chapters as seperate!**

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**Prologue**

An annoying buzzing noise rang through the young girl's head as she rolled around in her messy sheets. Her hand fumbled around the edge of the nightstand before starting to haphazardly smash at the wood. Finally it hit its mark, the top of the alarm clock, stopping the irritation.

"Argh… I really have to remember to turn of the alarm… It's summer now…"

Natsuki mumbled to herself while rolling herself up into a sitting position. The past year she was taking extra courses that completely filled her daily schedule. That being said, she had gotten used to getting up early, not enjoying it, but getting used to it nonetheless.

Feeling the grumbling in her stomach she flopped her feet over the edge of the bed and into some slippers and walked into the kitchen. Not having much in the fridge as usual, Natsuki opted for eating out again. She quickly threw on some clothes that were lying on the ground and grabbed the loose change on the coffee table then left for the small diner near her apartment. Linden Baum was close enough that she didn't need her bike to get to it, and with her income being close to nothing at the moment, gas was too expensive to waste.

The truth was, even though her grades were improving, she had great friends who could be trusted, and as normal a life as possible without HiME issues… Natsuki was still missing something. She even know what, or rather whom, it was; yet still could not find that person.

The girl blankly strolled into the diner, the jingle of the bell waking her from her trance. Natsuki shook her head and looked up to see her old friend Mai at the cash. The redheaded girl smiled brightly at her friend and skipped towards her.

"I didn't know you worked this early…" grumbled Natsuki, wishing she had not let Mai see her in such a disheveled state.

Easily turning the subject back around, Mai replied with a smirk.

"And _I_ didn't know you woke up this early when you didn't have to," She reached over her friend's shoulder to grab a menu from the shelf by the door, "Anyway get a table and I'll come join you with the food."

A sweatdrop formed behind the dark hair of the other girl as she desperately tried to find a way to eat alone. She then proceeded to mentally smack herself when the excuse was right there in front of her.

"Ehh don't you have to be working now? You can't let your boss see you taking breaks when you aren't allowed."

Again Mai quickly retorted.

"Nah it's fine. It's just a way for me to pay back Midori for _so kindly_ leaving me with all the work while she went on her two week excavation trip."

"…Excavation trip?"

"Yeah… don't ask… I have no idea what she does on those."

About ten to fifteen minutes later Mai returned with two plates of food for each of them and sat at the table. After a bit of silent chewing the naturally observant girl had to point out.

"No offense… but you look still awful…"

"What?!" snapped Natsuki with food still in her mouth.

"Eh no I didn't mean it like that. Just that… for the past year you've been even more quiet than before and well… Now you're at the point where you aren't wearing shoes while getting breakfast..."

Natsuki blinked and looked under table at her feet. Sure enough she was still in slippers and soon remembered the state of her apartment along with the fact that she hadn't cleaned anything for weeks. To be more precise, Natsuki herself hadn't cleaned for the past year and a half, but Mai couldn't stand to see the mess anytime she came over and did the work for her, of course without a single complaint. The blue-haired girl only grumbled and took another bite of her breakfast.

"I've always been quiet… you just never saw it until I started coming to school all the time and you were seeing me every day."

There was not a chance Mai would truly believe this, but she decided to play along.

"Okay then… I guess you're right, you know yourself better than anyone… but seriously," she paused to eat some of her own food, "Let me know if you need anything… I can tell that it's time for me to clean your apartment again so I'll be coming by after work and whether you like it or not."

Natsuki sighed, there really was no way of getting around this girl's kindness once she had set her mind to it.

_I guess you could say it needs to be a bit neater…_

When the two friends had finished their meal Natsuki poured out all of her change onto the table and left to return home. However once again her mind started wandering, along with her feet. It seemed like she had simply blinked and was now standing in the shade of a large tree in the center of a park.

_How did I end up here?_ She thought, though not referring to her physical location.

_When did everything spiral away from me? When did I start feeling like I've lost everything? I finally have a life of my own and now I can't seem to handle it… but… I lived alone before…_

The girl groaned and leaned against the tree momentarily before sliding down and placing her face in her palms.

_What's happening to me…?_

A lone tear traced the girl's cheekbone but it was quickly swiped away rashly by her hand.

_You're alone now… These are your thoughts… No one can hear them but you… So you can be honest…_

Natsuki slid her face across her hands up to look at the sky through the tree branches.

"…Where are you?" she asked aloud, hoping some mystical voice would answer. A cool wind then brushed against her side swiftly followed by thick droplets of water.

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Heavy rain pelted against the windows of Natsuki's apartment, earning a worried frown from the redhead inside.

_Damn it where did she run off to in this weather? _Mai thought as she continued cleaning the place on her own.

Eventually a creaking noise was heard from the doorway, followed by sloshing noises. Natsuki blindly walked through the familiar route of her own home and sat on the sofa before leaning over to lie down and sleep. Mai quickly turned towards the sounds and brought some hot tea into the living room area. She went to close the door before coming to sit back down next to her friend. Foreseeing something like this happening Mai had already placed blankets in several areas of the apartment, and so she pulled the one from the couch over the shivering body and sighed.

"…You're worse off than I imagined…"

The cobalt-haired girl simply turned her eyes to meet her friend's, "What do you mean by that? I'm fine…"

Mai sighed and held one of the teacups out towards the other girl who took it hesitantly, but drank it fast once she found the warmth.

"Ah don't do that! You'll burn your throat!" but it was too late, the cup was already emptied and handed back to her.

There were a few moments of silence while Natsuki calmed herself and Mai drank her tea slowly before muttering again.

"…I don't know if I should tell you this… but seeing you in this pain is so harsh… I at least want to give you a choice as to what to do…"

Natsuki rolled over and leaned up a little more with her back against the armrest, "What do you know?"

"…She's coming back this weekend… I just thought you should know in case you wanted to see her again."

The other girl began to shiver again and felt her stomach flutter around inside. She wrapped her arms around her body, pulling the blanket closer.

"How do you know this? You mean she was actually gone somewhere? I thought she was just avoiding me."

"Well, she phoned me yesterday just really quickly from a pay phone it seems. I don't even know where she was, but she just wanted to tell me she was coming back and… I got the feeling it wasn't really directed at me."

Mai paused and looked at the floor shyly, debating whether or not to say her piece.

"…I think you should go… At least to ask her what's going on I mean… It's been a year of no emotion either way. Like this stalemate that left both of you to go your own ways for your own reasons. But this is a chance to change that… and I think it's what you've been waiting for… isn't it?"

Natsuki frowned, buried in thought.

"I've just had a bad few weeks recently… It'll pass… There's no reason for me to see her after all this time… it would be too awkward," Natsuki's heartstrings tightened, "She left me!"

Mai placed her teacup back on the table.

"Do you blame her for it?"

"I guess I understand why she just vanished but… I think… I think I do blame her for it. Just a little bit."

"Because it hurts right?"

"Yeah."

"Then see her. Come on you know it as well as I do she only called me to let you know!"

The girl stood up and tossed another blanket over to the silent Natsuki.

"Everything's clean and I have to get back. Take care of yourself okay… And really… think about it."

With that the girl left the apartment and returned home, leaving the still cold girl with her thoughts.

_I don't know what I want… Still after all this time I don't know what I want… All I know is that I… I've lost everything._

This thought flickered in the girl's brain like a candle before it being blown out by the breeze of sleep.

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The sun cracked through the curtains of Natsuki's kitchen window that led a trajectory aimed directly at her eyes, as she was asleep on the couch. In a half sleep blinking awake the girl muttered to herself.

"I so need a door for that room… It make it impossible to crash on the couch when I'm up all night with video games."

She rolled around a bit before she unconsciously tilted her head to the side.

_Wait I _**have**_ crashed on the couch while playing video games all night. The sun doesn't rise from that direction…_

Natsuki used all of her abdominal strength to lift her upper body and stare at the blinking clock on her DVD player.

_Seven PM? I've been asleep all afternoon… Great now I'm gonna be up all night._

The girl stretched and stood up while spreading out the damp blankets to hopefully let them dry overnight. Next it was time to attend to that annoying glow of the sunset. It was easy enough since she was heading to the kitchen anyways. While using one hand to pull down the blinds the girl masterfully unwrapped a package of instant ramen in the other. However instead of adding the water as she should have, Natsuki headed back to the living room right away and proceeded to do what she did best: spend all night fighting the same boss over and over that she could never beat.

Tonight especially the girl's mind was plagued with thoughts of what ifs and whys.

_How am I supposed to face her again? _

She asked herself while looking at the calendar on her wall.

_This weekend is the day after tomorrow… which technically is today… Damn it that means I have until the end of today to decide!? What the hell does the universe want from me!?_

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Meanwhile, across the country a certain chestnut-haired girl was walking through the streets of an inner city. Even though it was summer she still wore a light overcoat since nights like these tended to get chilled. She had been wandering for a while now, debating whether or not to return.

_I can't believe I told Mai-san that I was coming back when I don't even know if I'm ready…_

She looked up at the night sky, but was unable to see any stars due to the overwhelming flashing of the city.

_Natsuki…I want to be your friend…But it's not fair for me to return when I'm not capable of keeping you safe. I cannot be your friend if I make you fear me… So I guess that means it's best I stay away…_

"…At least until I don't love you anymore."

Shizuru was unaware of having said that last part out loud and continued walking, although she had peaked the interest of some men about five years older than her it seemed. The girl, sensing something off – although in this town it was hard to tell what really was off – picked up her pace. However it wasn't enough to escape the impending grasp of one of the men.

"Hey there don't you wanna play with us for a bit? You look like you could use some fun."

The girl froze in her tracks, her bangs shading her eyes until the very second she opened them. Crimson orbs of rage that would usually burn holes in minds, simply fueled the taunting behaviour of the group. She was able to break her arm free only for a moment, but that was all she needed. Shizuru had slipped up against a building's wall enough to reach for the help that she desired. Being the ever-observant person she was, noticing her weapon of choice in the oddest of places was no problem. A smirk fell across her face as she gripped onto the loose pole behind her.

"…I don't have time to play right now!"

With that the girl pulled the pole from its previous position and whipped it around in every direction, successfully knocking all of the men down. Not only that, but when one tried to get up, a simple spin allowed for the other end of the metal piece to hit him in the side of the neck, rendering him unconscious. Signifying her victory, Shizuru raised the pole up and then across her shoulders and arm in one fluid motion: a pose that had simply become a reflex at this point.

_On second thought… I'm sick of this place._ _It's time to break the silence._

The girl relaxed her muscles and dropped the metal to the ground before walking only a few more blocks to her temporary home.

She looked around the rooms, realizing how little there actually was to pack.

_I guess I can do it tomorrow… I'll call Mai-san again and tell her exactly when I'll be back and where. I have to leave the decision up to Natsuki… it's the only way the truth will come…_

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Saturday had finally arrived. It was another rainy day for summertime. Clouds circled around the land of Fuuka like hawks waiting for the moment to strike with vicious thunder. Mai looked out the window of her dorm room with her phone in hand. It was now almost six in the afternoon and Natsuki still wouldn't pick up.

_Why doesn't she get a fricken message service?!_

The girl continued frantically mashing the redial button before a tugging on her sleeve caught her attention. She turned to see a smaller girl with large watery eyes watching her intently.

"Don't worry, things will at least have some sort of conclusion by the end of today… whatever she decides."

The younger girl only tilted her head to the side and groaned.

"Why is Mai sad? When Mai is sad I'm sad."

The redhead sighed.

"This really is getting out of control if it's affecting you…" she then got up and went to the kitchen, "I'll explain as I make us some food, one more phone call isn't going to make a difference that this point. As soon as she sees the amount of missed calls she'll at least have the sense to call back and ask what it was about."

Mikoto nodded with a bright smile and latched herself onto Mai's waist as the older girl dragged her into the kitchen. She stayed there while Mai cooked and listened to the brief explanation.

"Well you see Mikoto… Natsuki has been having a hard time for a while now. And now she finally has to make the decision to either take a risk and make her life better or have the security, but for sure be sad."

"But… why is Natsuki sad?"

"Ehh…" Mai tried to think of the best way to explain this, "Well… It's as if I just left you here and –" She didn't even get a chance to finish before she was tackled to the ground.

"Don't go Mai! Stay! Stay! I love Mai!" cried out the younger girl while the older tried to get a grip and stand again.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said as she patted Mikoto's head, "But that's how Natsuki has been feeling for a long time… It's too bad she couldn't be as honest as you and yell 'Don't go! Stay with me!'… Although she does in her heart… which is why she's sad, because the only one that can hear it is herself."

Fire then burned in the girl's eyes as she went back to stirring the noodles.

"And now she's about to mess it up because she isn't picking up her phone! This is her only chance and she doesn't even know where to go!"

Mai continued to stir rapidly in her frustration but soon calmed down enough to pour them both a bowl.

As she placed their meals on the table Mikoto hopped over to her side and began to eat ferociously. Mai raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing eating so fast?"

The spikey-haired child grinned with a noodle still stuck to her face.

"Well someone has to go make Natsuki feel better before it's too late!"

She pressed the bowl to her lips again, quickly finishing the ramen. The girl had basically swallowed the whole bowl in two gulps before standing up in a dramatic pose.

"I'll be back Mai! I'll make Natsuki call you alright!"

"Wait-!" was all the other girl could manage while reaching out to Mikoto's arm before the neko-girl had jumped out of the dorm window and into the stormy winds.

Meanwhile Mai simply leaned back and sighed, she knew her companion enough that she would find a way back and not staying in one place would just cause more chaos.

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It was now close to six-thirty, afternoon was turning dark and into evening. A large bus was crossing the border into Fuuka and while observing the sign on the highway Shizuru lost herself in thought.

_This is what's right isn't it…? It has to be… because if being apart felt so wrong…_She sighed, _Well… there's no turning back now… Please be waiting for me…_

The girl looked at the seat next to her that was piled with her two large bags that held all she had. They were kahki army-style duffle bags that she had found only the day she had left one year ago. She had no idea what may have still been left in that scummy foreign apartment but it didn't matter. This place was her home no matter what.

The bus passed under a tunnel and when it emerged from the darkness the clouds had deepened in their gray tone. Just as the bright lights of the station appeared in the horizon, an independent flash commenced the true storm.

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Thunder crashed in the sky above the sleeping girl's apartment. Natsuki's long blue hair hung over the armrest while her limbs, entangled in a light blanket and instant ramen wrappers, twisted in all shapes around the furniture. Her sleep was too deep and thoughtful to be disturbed by the rapping at the window.

_It's probably just a tree or something…_thought her momentary lapse of consciousness before she started hearing the faint sound of a voice.

"Natsuki!" cried out the neko-girl hanging on for dear life on Natsuki's windowsill in the storm.

Mikoto had thought it was best to go by outside when she couldn't get in the front without a key; but after jumping back and forth between buildings to get to the other girl on the third floor, the plan had shown it's faults.

"Natsuki!"

_Huh… Who's calling me...?_

The girl began twisting her head, slowly waking from her long day of sleep, ever since being put on backwards time. Her hand made its way up to her eyes and forehead, trying to rub the pain away.

_Seriously… where is this person? I can't see anything…_

Meanwhile, Mikoto was still banging on the window, being assaulted by massive rain pellets, and seeing that Natsuki was in fact conscious on the couch made her even more frustrated.

_Why isn't she letting me in? Gah!_

"Natsuki-baka!!!!!!!"

With that the small child somehow managed to find the strength to lift up the window from the outside and slide her way into the apartment. However being completely soaked from the rain and precariously balanced over Natsuki's over-filled sink, the girl all too easily slipped on a frying pan, which caused a downpour of silverware.

This entire ruckus of course forced the half-sleeping girl completely awake screaming gibberish about a burglar. After enough flailing of her arms Natsuki finally calmed down enough to see a spiral-eyed Mikoto on her floor covered in her dishes and water.

"You… What the hell are you doing going up that way?!" she yelled while rushing over to the window, closing it to prevent anymore rain from getting in.

Next she had to attend to the pet of her friend and cleared away the pots and pans before pulling the girl to her feet.

"Seriously! Why are you barging in at this hour in the middle of a rainstorm through the Goat-damn window?!"

The drenched girl shook the water out of her hair with rapid neck swings before flashing a devious pout in Natsuki's direction. In a quick and proud motion she then stood up to stare the other girl, who was leaning over, directly in the eyes.

"I'm here to make sure someone didn't make the Natsuki I know run away!"

The jade-eyed girl raised an eyebrow and scratched her head.

"Er… I'm standing right here…"

Smoke began fuming from the girl's head.

"Natsuki-baka! You make Mai sad! You make me sad! Call Mai!"

It was then that the incessant beeping of her cell phone finally broke her confusion. Natsuki turned and left Mikoto to follow her into the living room where she flipped open the cover and was met with a blinking "34 missed calls." Just as she was about to dial, the phone rang again; safely assuming it was Mai, the girl answered. Although before she could even get in a simple greeting, the sheer volume of her screaming friend took her aback.

"I can't believe you didn't go you moron!"

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_Thirty minutes earlier…_

The station was packed with people running from bus to train, all carefree and concerned solely with their own lives. The slightly tall girl tried to make her way through the crowds while carrying her two simple bags but of course ended up being knocked around quite a bit. She was still able to keep her calm demeanor while walking towards the large panel-like windows that overlooked the highway connecting the station to the city. The girl looked over at the clock and sighed.

_Well… maybe she's somewhere in here…_

Shizuru started pacing around in the masses of people, attempting to find the one she had been waiting for. As the minutes quickly added up her search became more frantic until she somehow made it back to the same open window.

_She could just be late… This is a heavy storm… I hope she didn't take her bike._

She paused while staring at the floor and dropping her bags to the ground.

_Who am I trying to fool? These are my thoughts and I can't even be open in my own head? Of course I know what happened… she isn't going to come!_

Her hands swiftly rose to cover the teary eyes. Deep down she knew that this would be asking too much. Shizuru stayed there for a few minutes, counting on the people to be selfish enough to leave her be, which thankfully they did. The girl, after a few minutes, regained her composure and pulled out her cell phone to call Mai. Even though she had stopped crying, there was no hiding the choked tone in her voice.

"…Mai-san?"

"Is she there yet?!"

A pause.

"…No, and I don't think she'll come… Thank you for your trouble, but I'll be catching the next train to Kyoto to stay at my parents' house while they're on vacation."

On the other end of the line Mai gripped the bedpost, trying to ease her frustration.

_I can't believe this is her decision! To stay lonely!_

"Just… Wait fifteen more minutes! I'll keep calling!"

The dial tone was all that was left of the conversation, leaving the distraught girl to look up at the schedule board.

_There's a train in twenty minutes…_

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_Present time…_

"What do you mean I didn't go?!" Natsuki shouted back over the phone, still completely oblivious to the time of day, "Didn't go where?"

"Argh! You're hopeless! Kaichou's been waiting at the station for you for the past half hour and if you don't get over there she's going to be leaving to her parents' house! This is as far as I go with this; the rest is up to you…"

There was a light click and then silence. Mikoto carefully watched Natsuki's lack of movement, fearing that any motion on her part would be interpreted as sudden and shock the other girl.

Within a few seconds of staring at the floor Natsuki fell to her knees and then caught herself with her hands, shaking.

"…Gone…" she muttered, "…She's… gone…"

The younger girl carefully and slowly took a few steps closer before placing a hand on the other's back.

"…She isn't gone Natsuki-baka… You can still make it to the train before it leaves."

Navy hair shook with her head.

"There's no way! Not in this weather!"

There was a slight shuffle beside her as Mikoto stood up.

"…The Natsuki I know really did run away from here then…"

The other girl turned her head to face her.

"…She fought well… because she had a reason for fighting, and knew it. Now the reason is waiting and she won't fight. Mai said, 'True love is believing that what you feel is true.' Do you think that what you're feeling is a lie then?"

Natsuki was shocked with not only Mikoto's change in speech but also the way her childish logic was so correct. It was so simple even this brat could understand what to do.

"…What I'm feeling… this is real for sure… love…"

Everything had been set in her mind from long ago that love couldn't cross her path, and ever since it had she would deny it.

_I have no reason to fear love anymore… My love can't hurt anyone anymore!_

It wasn't long before Natsuki emotionally and mentally pulled herself together. With hands clenching to fists she pushed herself up in one swift motion and ran into her room. The girl rustled through all of her clothes trying to find the most suitable thing for the weather and hastily dressed. There wasn't time to waste.

She was just about to rush out the door when she turned on a dime and ran ban to Mikoto. She wrapped the small girl in her arms.

"Thank you…"

Quickly pivoting again and running out the door grabbing her keys and helmet along the way. Despite being somewhat out of practice with athletics, Natsuki was able to jump several stairs at a time while strapping her helmet on just as she made it to the front door. The strong winds seemed to be pushing the girl further away from her transport but her determination soon won over. She gripped the handlebars as tightly as possible before swinging a leg over and turning the bike in the right direction and speeding off into the storm.

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Shizuru stared at the platform, then at the train, and then at the platform again. Despite knowing that Natsuki would not come, the girl was hesitant on leaving the safety of the station. She felt as if she could wait forever if there was even a glimpse of hope… but there was none. After being told several times that the train was going to leave, the girl finally made her decision. She got on the vehicle and found an empty seat by the window facing the other set of tracks. While staring out the window her mind began to wander, slowly but surely into the more outlandish of places until everything had fully became a dream.

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Natsuki looked down at the clock on her bike and cursed under her breath.

_I can still make it! I just can't waste time finding her in the station…_

Her hand twisted the accelerator and the girl sped off the split second the light turned green. Luckily due to the weather there weren't many cars on the road to navigate through, but time was running out. The biker turned onto the highway and knowing it wouldn't be much longer she paid careful attention the buildings on the sidelines and the exits.

Soon enough she was able to see a mass of bright lights and turned off the main road while looking at the time again.

_Damn it! She's probably already on._

Natsuki looked at the station while she neared it.

"It's now or never!" The girl yelled to herself before turning with a loud angry screech of tires and headed towards the train tracks.

She skid through the parking lot around various careless motorists who would always back up out of the space without seeing her there. Usually Natsuki would have stopped and give them what for but the train lights were so close to her now.

The dark clouds and lightning still cloaked the sky as the girl drove over a set of tracks into the empty lane. There was only one train left at the station tonight, and it had to be the one she was looking for. She rode over the planks of wood, ignoring the discomfort and closing in on the first train car.

Natsuki slowed down for once, trying to see through the rain on the glass to find the girl she wanted. She would quickly, but carefully scan each window before moving on to the next car, by the third one she stopped in her tracks. There she was. The sight of light brown hair pressed against the glass almost brought Natsuki to tears of joy. She hadn't missed her after all.

"SHIZURU!"

The older girl could swear she heard someone calling her name, and turned her head in the cushion of her chair before turning back to sleep.

"Wake up before the train leaves baka!"

Natsuki screamed while digging her heels into the ground and revving the engine of her bike at full power.

The familiar roar, through dampened by sound barriers, woke the girl in a nervous shock. Her insides began to spin around, and her chest began to flutter. She turned around and pressed her face to the glass. Her lips began to tingle and tears welled in her eyes.

"…Natsuki… You came!"

Shizuru didn't even wait a second before grabbing her bags and attempting to run off the train, but Natsuki's little show had caused a crowd to gather on that side of the train, making it very difficult to move at all.

"Everyone please remain seated," said a voice over the PA, "This is probably just some teenage prank. We're sorry for the delay and this moron will be dealt with."

While the crowd began to chuckle, Shizuru was now angry and filled with the will to protect her love. Even with people literally piled over her to see out the window she stood up, using her upper body strength to physically toss the bystanders aside.

"SHE'S NOT A MORON!!"

People were thrown over the seats as the girl shoved them aside, rushing to the exit.

Meanwhile, Natsuki was caught in a blissful trance-like state, smiling at the situation. However she was rudely interrupted in her thoughts by a siren.

_Oh no the police!_ They thought simultaneously.

Knowing the other girl's quick thinking ability, Natsuki counted on Shizuru to know the plan. The biker's engine roared again, this time fading in the direction of the way she came. As she passed the last car of the train, still not driving at full speed she looked to her right at the platform. A grin crossed her face when she saw that Shizuru was running along side her.

"Get on already!" she yelled jokingly.

The thrill of riding fast in the rain while being chased filled Natsuki with the confidence to conquer the world; and what's more her love was with her too.

With joy in her soul, Shizuru tossed both bags, though large, onto each of her shoulders. Heeding natsuki's words, she successfully jumped onto the moving vehicle just as the police ran onto the platform from inside the station. She wrapped her arms around Natsuki's waist and snuggled into her back, not caring about the fact that the girl's leather jacket was soaking wet.

_I'm home…_

After a few moment's of making sure the older girl was secure, Natsuki charged her bike again through the hole of a fence she came though before. They made it onto the highway fast enough for to lose their pursuers. Natsuki only drove until the next exit where she turned off and pulled onto the side of the street for a more proper greeting; not to mention riding in this storm without a helmet was not save for her companion. She stopped under a tree, but it didn't do much to shield them from the rain.

Both girls got off the bike and took a moment to stare at each other in silence. They needed to make sure that this wasn't just another dream they were having. Shizuru was the one to take the first step closer, placing her arms around the shorter girl and pulling her close. Even though the thickness of her helmet Natsuki could hear the faint sobbing.

"You really came! This is real!"

Natsuki could only smile herself, moving her arms up over the other's shoulders pulling her closer.

"I'm sorry I'm late… and I made you sad…"

"It doesn't matter… you're here!"

"No I mean… the big picture too… I'm sorry I'm late."

Shizuru smiled, "I know… and it doesn't matter… because you're here now."

The pair stayed embraced in the rain for a while longer, simply enjoying the touch of the other until Natsuki noticed Shizuru's shivering.

"We need to get you inside somewhere, come on I'll take you home."

She said handing over her spare helmet to the other girl who caught it with ease but stared shyly at the ground.

"What's wrong?"

"Ara Natsuki… I don't live here anymore. My home was in the dorm remember?"

A metaphorical brick fell on Natsuki's head pinning her to the ground.

_Argh… but my place is such a mess! _

She sighed and stood up brushing off the fictional dust.

"Well _of course_ I know that! You can live with me!"

She raised her eyebrow.

"…Until I find a new place?"

"…If you want…"

Natsuki replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice that didn't go unnoticed. However for the moment Shizuru got prepared for the ride back, this time carrying her bags in a much more comfortable position than when she had loosely thrown them on. The two got on and drove quickly through the storm to Natsuki's apartment, the bad weather hadn't subsided, but the chaos in their hearts was completely gone.

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Once they reached the apartment Natsuki quickly parked the bike out front and hurried the other girl inside the main doors, then up the stairs. The blue-haired girl took one of the bags and led the way to the door while taking off her helmet. Shizuru did the same and for the first time in so long, in the new light of the building, had seen the girl she longed for.

"Aww damn it!" cursed Natsuki, not breaking the other girl's gaze, "I can't find my keys."

She put down the luggage and began to search through her pockets but was caught off guard by a hand around her waist. There was a slight amount of pressure, just enough to her to turn around and be face to face with those crimson eyes. They soon moved from her field of vision when Shizuru leaned close and to the side, gently kissing her cheek.

"Thank you for letting me stay," She whispered.

The closeness got to Natsuki quicker than she expected. The aura she adored was mixing with hers and she loved it. Before the older girl could step back Natsuki held the back of her head, stopping her while feeling through her hair. Her other hand gripped Shizuru's shoulder while pulling her closer. Their lips grazed each other as the jade-eyed girl whispered back.

"I want you to stay forever…"

Natsuki then titled her head back slightly pressing their mouths together.

They kissed even more passionately after the first break for air, and the control soon shifted to the taller girl. She held onto Natsuki's hips and pushed her back into the door. There was no rush to get inside so the pair remained in this peace. That is, until a small click from the other side of the door had unlocked it. Both girls' eyes widened for a second as they felt gravity begin to pull on them.

The door swung open under their weight and the two girls fell on top of each other. They took a moment to catch their breath, without getting up, before bending their necks backwards to see, though a mess of air, a short girl staring at them.

Mikoto continued to stare at the odd position the two were in.

"I thought I heard you outside so I went to check."

She paused and regained her normal mischievous grin, "Mai should be here any second to pick me up! Bye bye Natsuki-baka!"

The girl jumped over the two on all fours and was about to start skipping down the stairs when she ran back for a second.

"Oh! Welcome back Kaichou!"

Shizuru lifted her upper body to face the girl better, though now straddling Natsuki, and smiled brightly.

"Aww! Kawaii Mikoto-chan!" her smile was returned and Mikoto jumped down the stairs.

As soon as she was out of sight Shizuru leaned back down over Natsuki with a completely different expression. She grinned and kicked the door closed with her foot.

"Now… where were we?" she teased while snuggling herself closer and kissing the still-dazed-from-the-fall Natsuki.

…_I don't think I'll ever be able to get used to those personality switches._


	2. First Day

A/N: Yes, again I morphed chapters during my cleaning up. I want to make a habit of making them longer so I stop splitting things. The only major plot change that happened here was that Suroshen (aka the stupid kid) got killed off soap opera style… Basically I deleted his part in the story because I realized he was just a really bad plot device, never mentioned later, and ruined a few possible future moments. I don't think anyone minds that he's gone though XP.

**Thank you to Leebot, mantikora, volk83, SychoBabbleX, Bad one, SpiderLilies2007, PandorasTube, rainee-chan, lindred, and everyone else who read!**

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**Chapter 1: "First Day"**

The sunlight shone through the dark curtains of Natsuki's bedroom across the blue-haired girl. She was still asleep in her bed, sprawled out in the sheets while humming a song in her head unconsciously.

_Kirei na yume no sono hate ni…_

Her senses soon caught a whiff of an intriguing smell, but her muscles were far too exhausted to react just yet. Instead the girl simply remained in her dream. All was well until her black sheets covering the windows were no longer enough to shield the bright rays. Natsuki furrowed her brows and clenched her fists as tight as she could for so soon in waking.

_No let me sleep! This bed is so comfy and I'm dreaming for once!_

But of course it wouldn't go that way. The girl pushed herself up on her forearm and then into a sitting up straight position while leaning on the wall her bed was pushed against. She looked around for a moment, wondering why she was alone in bed.

_I could have sworn that it was real… That I wasn't alone last night._

The interesting scent started to fill Natsuki's nose again, along with some noises coming from a nearby room. She pushed herself out of bed but carried a sheet draped over her shoulders to avoid the morning chill and walked towards her destination. The girl strode through the doorway, still groggy but soon awakened fully to the sight in front of her.

"Ah, so you're finally awake? I tried getting you up at around eleven-thirty but you wouldn't move so I decided to just leave you be," said the tan-haired girl while cutting some vegetables and pouring them into the pot she was stirring, "Besides… you looked so cute while sleeping!"

That did it. With teasing and all, this was definitely real.

_I don't have to dream anymore… I'm living it finally!_

Natsuki couldn't hold back her smile any longer and even failed to refrain from jumping the other girl. Though shorter by a bit, Natsuki managed to grip her companion be the waist and bury her face in her hair.

Shizuru turned her head a bit, her eyes perceiving the other girl as a chibi puppy, and hugged her back with equal force. They remained like this for a moment before the steam coming from the pot squealed at a piercing volume. The two broke away and the older girl quickly returned to her cooking. Meanwhile the younger of the pair took a few steps back to observe.

"…Hey… Last time I checked I didn't have any vegetables…" she said curiously.

While still cooking the other girl replied with an almost-parental tone.

"I know. That's why I told Mai-san to buy some for you when I called her before."

The tired girl simply sighed.

_Right… Mai was here. I didn't even bother to check the fridge after she left…_

Shizuru passed her carrying two plates of something that was steaming, enticing Natsuki's eyes to follow the trail of smoke to the table. The pair sat down to eat, but Natsuki could do nothing but stare at the food inquisitively. She continued to observe the plate of rice and leafy things until another pair of chopsticks came into her view and lifted up a green object, bringing it closer to her mouth.

"Eat your vegetables."

The green eyed girl creased her forehead for a moment before giving in and chomping down onto the food, earning a smile from the other. While still chewing, Natsuki just had to ask.

"Why are we eating something like this at breakfast anyway?"

Shizuru smirked, "Because it's healthy that's why. You should have a larger meal at breakfast to energize yourself for the rest of the day."

The other girl simply nodded; a little voice telling her that although she didn't fully understand, arguing would only serve for trouble.

Perhaps oddly, the two ate in silence for the most part. Although they were together now, there was still a gap they needed to bridge. Caught up in excitement they hadn't noticed it last night, but there was a year where they lived separate lives. Both wanted to know, but was afraid of the answer at the same time… thus the silence continued.

Despite the existence of nutritious food, Natsuki was the first to finish and cleared her spot before sitting back down at the table with a glass of water. For the moment all she could do was gaze at the delicate way the tan-haired one in front of her finished her meal.

_Why is this so entrancing?_

A gentle grin grew across her face as the answer was clearer than she thought.

_That's easy… I missed these moments…I missed watching the little things…_

Soon enough Shizuru had finished eating as well and while placing her dishes in the sink inquired seriously about their new situation.

"Are you really sure it's okay if I stay here for good? I mean… you're still just a kid in high school," she teased.

Natsuki crossed her arms and pouted.

"Am not! I'm a recently-become-adult in high school!"

"…Much better…" inwardly laughing at the fact that Natsuki just made herself sound even less competent than before by being an adult still in high school.

"Basic point: I say it's the best idea. Now let's set up your things."

Shizuru struck her notorious thinking pose.

"I actually set up all I have."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, I didn't have much so it didn't take long to put away."

"Oh…"

"Why are you so down about something like that?"

"I'm just having trouble thinking of what we could do today… So I thought we could do that… but it's already done… I guess we could go shopping though… you're probably gonna end up needing more clothes than you brought."

Natsuki went into her room and changed, then into the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair, before walking over to the desk by the corner of her room to picking up a wallet.

"Okay let's go- Eh? Why are you crying!?"

The girl exclaimed as she turned her head to see the supposedly more mature one rolling around on the bed hugging a pillow with comically massive streams of tears rolling down her cheeks.

"But I don't WANNA wear clothes around Natsuki!" she yelled continuing her tantrum, only resulting in the stiffer girl grabbing her arm and dragging her out the door.

"Well that settles it then, we have to wear clothes!" _…Sometimes…_ though she failed to voice the rest of her sentence, in fear of what excitement it would provoke in the other.

Shizuru groaned and stood up; even though she didn't want to wear clothes around Natsuki, she did still need them for being around other people. Not to mention she had a very hard time refusing anything the younger girl wanted to do. The pair took a few minutes to put their shoes on before leaving the small living space. As Natsuki turned around and locked the door she muttered aloud.

"Yeah and remind me while we're out that you need a set of keys too."

Both started to blush a bit when she said this, thinking about the future between them. Things were finally calm. It seemed for the moment that the past year had not even existed. It was as if neither had been depressed and/or isolated, and even if a vague memory of that time came up they knew it was okay now. They were safe when together, and hoped it would stay that way forever.

The two walked down the small cement path that led to the street from the main door of the building and Natsuki started to head towards her bike when a hand grabbed onto her belt, causing her to trip forward for a bit before turning and snapping.

"What was that for!"

"We don't have helmets Natsuki-baka."

"Oh good I'm glad that's catching on…" she replied with sarcasm, "Argh fine but how to you propose we get there then?"

"We'll walk of course! Summer walks are so nice and it isn't like we have to rush to the stores," said Shizuru as she walked forward lightly and took Natsuki by the hand.

She was pulled forward, but not by the hand, by those eyes. Natsuki could fall into them forever and once they locked with hers, there was nothing she could do to pull back; not that she wanted to. Her hand unconsciously squeezed back, holding on as much as she could before weaving their fingers together. The fact that Natsuki was the one making this first movement surprised Shizuru a little but it was a nice surprise. The more this would happen the more she could realize that it was true what they had; because she believed it was true.

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_Damn that walk took forever…_thought Natsuki as theystood in front of the massive doors leading inside the mall. Her red face was evidence of her trying to hide the lack of air that reached her lungs. It grew redder when the older girl calmly glanced at her watch.

"Hmm… fifteen minutes… not bad for a leisurely walk I guess."

_What?! Fifteen minutes? There's no way I'd be out after fifteen minutes unless it was a spint!_

Of course the girl had been too enthralled in the hand holding to keep track of their exact pace.

_Hmph! Leisurely walk,_

"My ass!"

Unaware of having just screamed, Natsuki remained cool and stood crossing her arms and nodding to herself as if to reassure that the pace was indeed faster than a leisurely walk.

Meanwhile Shizuru was left with a sweat drop behind her head… there were too many clever things to retort that it was overloading even _her_ brain. As usual whenever something like this would happen she merely shrugged and walked on, pulling the other girl forward again now with puppy eyes.

"Come on! Seeing all the people around here got me excited and I feel like shopping."

Despite knowing that shopping was her idea, Natsuki was soon starting to regret the outing. She sighed and reluctantly followed, angsting about having to scout the entire mall for clothes before going back through the building a second round to actually buy the stuff. Although something told her that this day was going to be a good one, and let a smile gently float on the surface of her face.

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As the pair made their way from store to store, both realized that although their tastes seemed different, they balanced. Natsuki was the two ends of the spectrum jumping from lingerie store to bike shop; whereas Shizuru was the one in the middle choosing casual but feminine wear.

"This is actually more fun than I thought…" admitted the dark-haired girl with a sigh of relief as they continued to look around.

"You thought you wouldn't have fun with me?!"

"Ah! No no! That's not what I meant… It's just… Usually I just go, buy what I want, and then get home and enjoy it… Browsing isn't my thing."

"It's because your attention span is too short."

"Yeah… wait! NO!"

The older girl giggled under her breath and led the way into a clothing store. She looked around at the sale items at the front until a "teasing device" appeared. She turned back holding up something hideously resembling a marshmallow on LSD.

"Natsuki! Look at this shirt doesn't it just _scream_ "happy"?!"

The younger girl squinted for a second.

"…I think it just screams…"

With a sigh, Shizuru placed the shirt back and entered the store, heading further back to more normal looking clothes. While she was more observant of prices, Natuski was more observant of colours, though she remained silent about it now. To be honest, her thoughts were embarrassing her. The chestnut-haired girl held up to shirts, both blue, and poked the other in the back with one hand.

"Which is better? Short sleeve or long?"

Trying to keep her cool "I don't like this store" attitude, Natuski picked up the long sleeve mahogany shirt she had kept her eye on and held it out

"…This one," she muttered.

"Ah, why that one? Blue is such a nice colour don't you think?" came the gentle voice while petting her hair.

Miraculously keeping her blush under some control, Natsuki only muttered, "…It matches your eyes…"

Stunned at the caring words, Shizuru quickly tossed side the first two, grabbed the one Natsuki picked and eagerly put it on in the middle of the store. Although, even _she_ in haste could falter, she put the shirt on over the one she was wearing, crumpling both sets of material as well as fraying her hair, not to mention making her seem _puffier_ than normal. The girl rubbed the back of her head giving a sheepish smile.

"It's good!?"

Natsuki giggled and tugged on the bottom, straightening the two shirts before nodding with a smile.

"Very good!"

The two stayed there for a moment, just smiling. The recently pouting girl couldn't hold back her happiness anymore, not when laughter is contagious after all.

Of course, with every perfect moment, there was always some annoying person that had to ruin it.

"Aww look Kuga's being a softie!" called the voice of a certain redhead clung to the arm of a man even _she_ had forgotten the name of.

Natsuki's head snapped around, bright red with both embarrassment and fury.

"You! Shut the frak up!" she yelled jabbing a finger in Nao's general direction.

The girl shrugged.

"Come on, I'm just stating the obvious."

She said with a smirk before looking at the oldest of the three, removing the tester shirt and swinging it over her arm.

_She's back…?_

Nao was never one to hold back, and certainly not around these two, "…Fujino…" she scowled.

Natsuki was about to start a name calling fight when a palm was raised in front of her. Somehow she knew to step back and not do the work this time while Shizuru faced her recurring foe. They remained in a deadlock stare, while the catch of the day was standing idly waiting for them to finish to get back to his business. The confident head tilt artistically executed by Shizuru was enough to push Nao of mental balance and fall into the trap of throwing the first punch.

"Dyke!"

"Whore." she snapped quickly.

Silence covered the area again; even other shoppers stayed a safe distance away from them. As for Nao, she was forced to stay silent. Her guilty conscience was getting to her, knowing that she did in fact have a man with her right now certainly didn't make it easy to think of a way to counter that comment.

Taking the lack of a response as sign of the redhead giving up, Shizuru decided to head for the second direct hit; overkill was always fun. She took Natsuki's hand tightly and held it up, entwining their fingers.

"Weren't we stating the obvious…ne?"

That did it. Nao couldn't handle anymore of this; though being her stubborn self she fled the scene refusing to admit defeat. It was as if she were to claim to be able to fly, fall off the edge of a building while yelling something as corny as "We'll meet again!"…

…

"We'll meet again Fujino! One day!" she began yelling while the man led her away by the arm to keep from violently rampaging throughout the store.

Meanwhile Natsuki remained stunned at the scene that seemed to play out so quickly but managed to shake her head back into reality. Suddenly realizing their hands were still touching she instinctively went to pull her arm back in behind her. Although since they _were_ still connected, this caused Shizuru's arm to be pulled back and down as well, having her land face first in Natsuki's cleavage.

Natsuki had fainted momentarily on the floor while Shizuru barely remained standing. She swayed back and forth, attempting to keep balanced. The dark shade of her bangs covered her eyes while she brought a shaking hand up to her face.

_Stupid nose! Stupid blood!_

She cursed inwardly.

"Umm… are you two alright?" asked the woman at the cash who had been forced to witness everything.

Still swirl-eyed, Natsuki remained on the floor for a moment longer, mumbling something inaudible. Shizuru on the other hand was of course able to regain composure quickly and lift the other girl to her feet before placing the shirt on the counter.

"Would you mind holding onto this while we keep looking?"

The woman nodded and took the item while the two girls began to roam the store again.

They ended up staying in there longer than expected since, after much convincing, Natsuki had started to try on clothes as well.

_Actually wait a minute… I've been the only one trying on stuff… _

Only at the end of the trip through this store did Natsuki realize that without having any money she had simply been tricked to model for the past hour. She tried to contain the fuming after being had once again.

"Come on, let's go eat. I can smell the food court from here and it's making me hungry."

With a nod the older girl gathered all of the clothes she had picked out for herself while Natsuki was in the process of changing outfits and brought them to the cash. The two waited for the total to come up before Shizuru handed over a credit card to the woman. She slid it through the machine and waited a second before an annoying negative noise beeped.

"Umm… Miss? You're credit card maxed out…"

Natsuki's jaw dropped.

"Eh?! How can _you_ be out of money?"

Shizuru sighed while picking out half the clothes that she surely wanted to keep.

"What do you mean how can _I_ be out of money?"

"Well it's just… I heard it from some other people… and some more… A lot of which happened to be your fan girls so I thought they were a reliable source."

"So _everyone_ thinks I'm rich?"

Natsuki paused. Thinking it over logically there wasn't much reason to assume that.

_I can't believe I fell prey to those stupid fan girls! Of course they thought she was rich! She went to Fuuka Gakuen and stayed in the dorms…But she was on the Kazahana Scholarship too DUH!_

Not wanting to admit she fell into such a superficial way of thinking, she merely rubbed the back of her head with an awkward grin and replied.

"I think it's the accent…"

Shizuru's shoulder drooped as her face fell into an expression of exasperated frustration.

With only half the original amount of clothing, the card went through fine and the pair strolled off in the direction of food. Starving Natsuki was first to eye the burger joint and practically sprinted towards the meat. Too fast to be grabbed and held back from temptation, Shizuru was forced to let her go and look for the closest thing to something she liked in fast food.

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Once they had gotten their meals, both girls sat down, each staring at the abomination to all food across from them. On one end there was a vitamin packed healthy balance of all food groups. At the other end there was a moist "blob" of what could only be described as "mystery meat" seeping more than one kind of fat between a bleach white set of bread. They gave each other a look of "What is THAT?" before sighing, accepting their own defeat, and giving into hunger.

"…Didn't I tell you to eat your vegetables?" Shizuru started, about to hand over something actually green.

"Hey! There's vegetables in here!" grumbled Natsuki still chewing, pulling out a pickle with her teeth to prove her point.

"…Right."

_I'm just glad there's real stuff at home…_

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The rest of the day was spent browsing through the mall, killing time, and looking to see if there was anything that they missed. By closing time when they had reached the limit of both money and energy they decided to return to the apartment. With her hands in her pockets, Natsuki huffed and pouted, kicking a rock forward as they walked.

"…I'm sorry about Nao."

"Ara? Is Natsuki getting all upset over a child?" Shizuru groaned, "And to think… all the children left in the world that haven't gotten to you yet," she grinned.

_Eh… What is she getting at? That expression always means bad news for me…_

Natsuki huffed again.

"She still annoys me so much… But at least I know to be more careful now."

"Ah you shouldn't worry… She seems to be _busy_ enough to not want to be involved with your life."

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Both girls spent the growing evening getting officially settled in their new living arrangement. Despite the fact that it had only been a night they were reunited, it seemed like it was perfectly normal. These two were, after all, best friends. The natural compatibility had in fact been growing for years, though only it had finally reached its most perfect point recently.

Shizuru had taken to hanging and reorganizing both Natsuki's old clothes and her new outfits. Once both shopping bags had been emptied she looked up and grinned at her handiwork. All was well until she gracefully turned on her heel and took a step directly into a pile of old laundry. With her right leg was forced to stop moving sooner than expected, Shizuru was sent to the ground with a thud.

_Mataku Natsuki… How could you move anywhere in this place?_

Natsuki, who was busy cleaning up old ramen containers from the living room floor eagerly peeked her head up over the back of the sofa, giving her a direct view into her room. She cocked her head to the side and began innocently rubbing the back of her hair.

"Are you alright? Sorry about the mess in there… Just umm… yeah hang on I'll take care of it!"

The young girl quickly gathered her several small garbage bags and tossed them in the kitchen before grabbing another large garbage bag and heading to the room. When she got there, Shizuru had already gotten herself up and dusted off the debris. She was about to start helping her when Natsuki insisted that she do it.

After dragging the bag of laundry into the kitchen, the two girls looked at each other inquisitively and then back at said room. It was overflowing with everything they had just shoved in there, earning a mope and sigh from each. Neither wanted to take the first step, but eventually Natsuki, being the hungrier of the two, went for it. She placed all the small bags into one large one and turned to the doorway.

"I'll take these to the trash place downstairs," she said picking up the rather large bag of bags and tossing it over her back, "Be back in a sec."

Alone for the moment, Shizuru took this time to fully look around. To be honest, she was too consumed with the thought of living with Natsuki that it hadn't entered her mind to actually see what the place looked like. She walked into the living room, eyes moving from object to object taking in her surroundings. Suddenly she fell back onto the couch and breathed a heavy sigh. The day was also stressful on her, and the cushions seemed to be pulling her in, calling out to sleep.

_I guess I can just take a short nap…_

Natsuki returned to the apartment ready to eat only to see her sofa occupied with a rather uncommon sight. Vulnerable and real; the former kaichou lay sleeping. Even though the Ice Princess was the witness to a lot more than a mere fan girl, she had never seen the other girl sleep. Her mind was blank. There were no right words to explain how she felt. Gently closing the door, Natsuki quietly made her way to the kitchen.

_Bah! Laundry can wait for tomorrow._

For now her concentration was on dinner. Despite her poor culinary skills, Natsuki managed to put together a rather simple set of sandwiches with a side of cheese and vegetables. It hadn't taken long for her to realize the importance of healthy foods, it had been asked of her twice in one day that was enough to get the hint. She carried the two plates out to the living room and sat down facing the couch, or more precisely, who was on it; not even catching herself staring.

"This is the most peaceful thing I've ever seen…"

With a sigh and a smile, Natsuki continued to watch and eat her meal. Halfway through, the girl had crunched on a carrot too loudly, waking the other. Dozily cracking her eyes open, Shizuru stretched her arms out before pushing herself into a more comfortable sitting position.

"Ara… How long was I asleep for?"

"Hmm… Not long. I just came up and made us some supper." Natsuki held out the other plate.

With exuberant joy Shizuru took the food, grinning even more now.

"Ookini Natsuki!"

The girl only watched with her emerald eyes.

_This is it…_ _This is what only I can see… That happiness… Such pure and innocent happiness…No one else knows the fragility of this person… It may seem that nothing breaks her but that's only a façade… She's so sensitive to even the smallest of things like this can make everything in her world perfect…and only I get to see it…_

At the time when both had finished eating, they also happened to be half asleep. Natsuki piled the two plates and put them aside before crawling closer to Shizuru's welcoming arms. For the time being she was happy snuggling at this proximity, with her back against the furniture. However just when she started to really fall asleep, the arms that were draped over her shoulders reached under them and began to pull.

"Eh? What are you doing?"

"If you fall asleep sitting like that you'll ache tomorrow."

Shizuru continued to lift Natsuki onto the couch that really wasn't big enough to fit two people; not that it mattered. Still tired, both had their eyes closed, though their other senses had been temporarily heightened letting them simply feel every limb and curve. Having shifted to lying on her back, Shizuru allowed Natsuki to lie on top of her completely. The younger girl squirmed a bit before resting her head on the elder's collarbone and curling her legs in like a puppy.

About four hours later, Shizuru woke up with a slight neck pain from her position against the armrest. Dazed and looking around she noticed that the lights were still on, and slowly remembered them falling asleep on the couch. She looked down at the girl on top of her and slowly got up, still pressing Natsuki close to her body, assuring she would remain asleep. Keeping one hand on her midnight hair, and using the other to scoop up her legs, Shizuru carried her love over to the real bed. After placing her gently on the mattress she quickly went to turn off the remaining lights get into bed herself. She was too tired to care that they were both still wearing their day clothes, all that mattered now was returning to the blissful atmosphere.


	3. Natsuki's Dream

Disclaimer: I did not create Charlie the Unicorn.

A/N: This is a total crack chapter involving what I think would happen if ShizNat and Charlie the Unicorn were to mix.

**Thanks to volk83, AskwolfX, rainee-chan, elfspirit7, lindred, Bad one, and everyone else who read!**

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**Chapter 2: "Natsuki's Dream"**

The night claimed the couple, as they lay asleep in Natsuki's bed. The blue haired girl was cradled by the arms of her lover and fell into a deep sleep. As with all people, she had a dream. And as with all people, those dreams were outrageous, flamboyant… and downright scary!

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Natsuki lay asleep against a cherry blossom tree in an open courtyard behind Fuuka Gakuen. Not that one necessarily even existed in reality, but this was the subconscious. The girl was at total peace, enjoying the breeze against her smooth skin, until some annoying voice rang through her skull.

"Hey Natsuki!" called out the girl's "seventeen year old" drunken teacher, "Hey Natsuki wake up!"

As if that wasn't bad enough, another person, possibly even more annoying, came into the picture.

"Yeah Natsuki! You silly sleepy head wake up!"

Natsuki's jade eyes opened slowly, watching the distorted figures of Midori and Nao sway back and forth in her head.

"Ugh… Oh God you guys… This had better be pretty freakin' important, is the mayo factory on fire?"

The oldest girl grinned widely and waved her finger from side to side in front of the dazed one's face.

"No Natsuki! We found a map to Candy Mountain! Candy Mountain Natsuki!"

Nao then chimed in while clasping her hands together and letting her eyes sparkle.

"Yeah Natsuki! We're going to Candy Mountain! Come with us, Natsuki!"

"Yeah Natsuki! It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure, Natsuki!"

The girl whom the pair was speaking of could only watch in disbelief as they excitedly spoke of this "Candy Mountain." She assumed that Midori had gotten them both drunk… or this place was just some sort of trap to get her to do… well she wasn't sure exactly what at the moment, but she was sure that there was something behind this. After having been so rudely awakened, Natsuki turned her head and closed her eyes.

"Yeah Candy Mountain… right… I'm just gonna, you know, go back to sleep now."

Suddenly Midori began doing flips in the air, suspended in the lack of gravity field conjured by the dream world, before landing on the now somewhat distressed girl.

"Nooooooooooo!"

The over-excited woman began jumping up and down, although, due to the lack of gravity, the impact was enough to annoying the life out of Natsuki, but not harming her.

"Natsuki! You have to come with us to Candy Mountain!"

Nao, still in a prayerful position continued.

"Yeah Natsuki! Candy Mountain!" Her eyes widened in fantastical wonders while describing their glorious destination, "It's a land of sweets and joy… and joyness!"

Completely ignoring the bright red headed girl, her only comment to this entire situation was a groaning.

"Please stop bouncing on me."

However Midori ignored her in return and continued her behaviour screaming.

"Candy Mountain, Natsuki!"

"Yeah, Candy Mountain!"

The two faces seemed to swish and swirl in the girl's mind as they coaxed her to follow them. Eventually through pure annoyance, she lifted her head with a firm frown.

"Alright fine, I'll go with you to Candy Mountain!"

In a flash the trio was transported to the woods around the school. Natsuki walked at an even, tense pace with her arms folded across her chest and her eyes closed: completely in contrast to her "companions." Nao and Midori were dancing around the bothered girl singing some song with gibberish words, being as happy as they could possibly be.

"GAH! Enough with the singing already!" shouted Natsuki.

Whether it was the outburst or not that made it stop, Midori cut off her singing.

"Our first stop is over there, Natsuki!"

She pointed to an enormous throne (that amassed out of nowhere) with an equally giant hologram of Haruka sitting proudly on it. Although of course with it being projected from some unknown place, a tiny Yukino could be seen in the background with her laptop assuring the connection was working.

At this sight Natsuki did what any normal being would do. She stopped in her tracks, stared it up and down before asking.

"…Oh God what is that?"

"It's a liopleurodon, Natsuki!" explained Midori matter-of-fact-ly.

"A _magical_ liopleurodon!" corrected Nao.

"It's gonna guide our way to Candy Mountain!"

"Alright guys you do know there's no actual Candy Mountain right?" Natsuki said, trying to bring these two back to reality, though soon realizing that was an impossible task.

To her dismay, the hyperactive pair remained unfazed. Midori even started to shout.

"Shun the non-believer!"

"Shuuuuuuun!"

"Shuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnn-a"

"…Yeah."

Was the only possible reply from the blue haired girl.

It was then that the massive hologram began to try to speak. Although the only noise that came was a deep gurgling, and while Haruka kept her proud composure, the hidden girl in the background could be seen smacking her forehead in frustration.

Midori then took a step forward while pointing at the figure.

"It has spoken!"

"It has told us the waaaaaaayyy!" said Nao before skipping past the throne leaving Natsuki behind with her thoughts.

"…It didn't say anything!"

In yet another time warp style flash, the group was on the bridge that had been blown up in the real world. Although to be more precise, the bridge was still broken, and so they were balanced along the suspension cables singing back and forth.

Midori still led the way.

"It's just over this bridge Natsuki!"

"This magical bridge of hope and wonder!" added Nao again.

It was odd hearing her speak of things so gleefully, even in a subconscious world about Candy Mountain. Of course Natsuki being the only one with relative sense at the moment realized that trying to cross this way may not have been the best idea.

"Is anyone else getting, like, covered in splinters? Seriously guys we shouldn't be on this thing."

Again her words weren't heeded and Midori went on.

"Natsuki… Natsuki…"

The girl frowned while clenching a fist.

"Natsuuuukkkiiiiiiii… Natsuuuuuukkkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-"

A vein burst on her forehead.

"I'm right here! What do you want!?"

"We're on a bridge Natsuki!"

… As if it wasn't clear enough.

Whoosh! Another teleport and it appeared. No, it wasn't some place that could be "considered" a Candy Mountain. It wasn't a place that looked like Candy Mountain. It was in fact, a literal gigantic pile of sweet goods in the middle of the forest where they just were. Nao hopped ahead to the mountain.

"We're here!"

Natsuki only stood still, staring in odd shock at what lay before her.

"Well what do you know there actually is a Candy Mountain."

"Candy Mountain! Candy Mountain!" sang Midori as she began to flip around again and jumping on the mountain, "Fill me with sweet sugary goodness!"

Nao then put an arm across Natsuki's shoulders and started nudging her forward.

"Go inside the Candy Mountain Cave, Natsuki!"

"Yeah Natsuki go inside the cave! Magical wonders that'll behold when you enter!"

This pushed the limit. She was sure it was some sort of trap now and took no shame in falling back in the classic rule of never go anywhere with strangers.

"Yeah, uhh, thanks but no thanks. I'm gonna stay out here."

"But you have to enter the Candy Mountain Candy Cave, Natsuki!" said Nao, pouting.

Then, it began. The scariest thing the poor Natsuki had ever seen in her life. Candy Mountain itself broke out into song and dance. What's more, other people she knew (not all were "friends" per se) magically jumped out from the pile of sweets in the sequence of Mai, Mikoto, Nagi, Reito and last but certainly not least _… SHIZURU!_

If one could faint in a dream, this is when it would happen for Natsuki. Her roommate/girlfriend walked up to her with the beat of the bouncy music and started to sing.

"Oh when you're down and looking for some cheering up then just head right on up to the Candy Mountain Cave!"

She then began doing back flips onto the mountain of yummies.

"When you get inside you'll find yourself a cheery land! Such a happy and joy filled and perky, merry land!"

Natsuki was now a zombie, eye twitching and all at this Candy Mountain theme song of sorts. And it wasn't even half over… While on the mountain, Shizuru started digging through the masses of sugar, pulling out and throwing various sweets to the three travelers.

"They've got lollipops and gummy drops and candy things! Oh so many things that will brighten up your day!"

The other four Candy Cave groupies continued to dance in the background while Shizuru continued singing.

"It's impossible to wear a frown in Candy Town! It's the Mecca of love the Candy Cave!"

As if that weren't scaring the poor girl enough, multi-coloured lights shone down on the group from nowhere and all except Natsuki herself began floating high into the air. They danced around Candy Mountain and with each line of her song Shizuru climbed to the peak throwing more and more candy around for all to have.

"They've got jelly beans and coconuts and little hats! Candy rats! Chocolate bats! It's a wonderland of sweets! Ride the candy train to town and hear the candy band! Candy bells! It's a treat as they march across the land!"

Natsuki was still not too thrilled with this whole experience; as shown by her death glare directed at the dancers. Although as usual in situations where she was pouting, Shizuru always made the most of it by continuing on whatever that may be.

"Cherry ribbons stream across the sky into the ground! Turn around, it astounds! It's a dancing candy tree! In the Candy Cave imagination runs so free! So now Natsuki will you please go into the cave!"

And for no reason at all the Candy Mountain groupies jumped together and exploded, leaving a sweat drop to appear behind Natsuki's confused head. Seeing the still hopeful expressions on both Nao and Midori's faces, Natsuki gave in once again. She threw her hands into the air.

"Alright fine! I'll go into the freakin' Candy Cave!" the girl started walking forward into the dark abyss that was Candy Mountain, "This had better be good!"

Natsuki looked around for a bit, trying to see anything inside the cave. It was all too dark and empty. Suddenly from behind her, the girl could hear Midori and Nao giggling furiously.

"Good bye, Natsuki!"

"Yeah good bye, Natsuki!"

"Goodbye? What!?"

The girl swiftly turned around to see them waving at her and before she could get out the massive candy gates closed.

"Hey! What's going on here? Hello?" footsteps came running closer, "Who is that?"

In the darkness all that could be heard was whoosh and swoosh sounds of clothing being tossed everywhere, and Natsuki blacked out.

She didn't know how long it had been but after a while of turning her head and trying to see through her fuzzy eyes, Natsuki woke up.

"Ugh… What happened?"

It took no more than a split second for her to jump up and pull a blanket over herself while observing the scene before her. Everyone she had met along her journey to Candy Mountain was sprawled across the floor of a harem. Natsuki was left being the only person awake, yelling in frustration.

"Aw they took my fraking virginity!"

----------------------------------------End Dream----------------------------------------

"WAH!" yelled Natsuki as she threw herself off the bed and onto the floor, still in a cold sweat from her nightmare. Shaking, she looked around trying to find something that proved to her she was no longer dreaming.

Meanwhile the other girl in the bed who had been woken up violently propped herself up on one arm while rubbing her head.

"Why is Natsuki screaming…?" she groaned before pulling herself to the edge of the bed. Still lying down, Shizuru looked at the girl while blinking twice at the expression she received.

After having so recently been frightened by some subconscious version of her, Natsuki could only shiver more before running out of the room screaming maniacally, leaving the chestnut haired girl now staring and blinking at an empty space on the floor. Assuming she had had some sort of scare, Shizuru decided to leave Natsuki be for a while and took the time to get dressed.

After a few minutes, the girl walked out of the room wearing a loose tank top and jeans, eyeing the dark blue top of Natsuki's head from behind the back of the sofa. Then, with the best intentions in the world, she wrapped her arms around the girl from behind saying.

"Aww maybe Natsuki would be happy if we got her some sweets?"

Said girl's eyes began to well up with tears, she then buried her face in the arms holding her yelling.

"I'm never going to Candy Mountain! Don't make me go!"

"…Ara?"


	4. Don't Say It!

A/N: I didn't want to cut down my total content too much (it went from like… 10 chapters to 6) and since this fic isn't too serious the chapters _will_ be around this length. I've (fortunately or unfortunately) been brought up with the idea of word limits seared into my brain as things I must abide by so expect chapters between 2500 and 4000 words.

**Thanks to Swarm 012, rainee-chan, lolanimegirl, lindred, Bad one, Sylverlyf, ****and everyone else who read!**

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**Chapter 3: "Don't Say It!"**

It was only eleven in the morning. It was only eleven in the morning and both girls were already bored. Natsuki sat on one end of the couch, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palm, grumbling as she flipped through the television channels. Shizuru laid flat on the furniture with her feet and legs stretched over Natsuki's lap while reading a magazine she had bought when they went shopping.

After the fifth variation of a game show, Natsuki growled in frustration and tossed the remote onto the floor.

"I hate these shows!"

The other girl peeked at the fuming Natsuki over her reading material.

"I mean really…"

"…You're just jealous that you have no idea how to get on one of those shows right?"

A pout.

"Bah! Fine… They just make it look so easy."

"Hmm… I think I know how to solve this problem."

The taller girl recoiled her legs for a brief moment before fluidly rolling off the couch. Emerald eyes sent Shizuru an odd look as she disappeared without a word of explanation. Natsuki shrugged it off at first, but the peculiar shuffling noises from the bedroom caught her attention.

She turned her head around.

"What are you – umph!" was all the navy haired girl could get out before being hit in the face with some sort of shirt, following by a pleated skirt.

"Change into that," ordered the voice from her room.

"What?! Why?" grumbled Natsuki as she removed the article that was blocking her vision.

She stared in awe, blinking, as she held up the white school uniform. She raised an eyebrow suspiciously before asking uncertainly.

"Why do you want me to wear this?"

"Because we're bored," was the blunt response.

Still trying to figure out what exactly was going on, Natsuki went through all the possible scenarios. However her train of thought was abruptly halted when a frantic voice in her head began shouting, _"UNIFORM FETISH!!!!"_ which incidentally caused the poor girl to fall over.

Not knowing the reasoning behind Natsuki falling over, a chestnut head peeked out of the doorway.

"Hmm, I could always help you if you wish?"

Now bright red, the girl assumed it would be better if she did the changing herself. She jumped back to her feet and ran into the bathroom.

"Eh! I'm fine I got it!" she assured quickly, replacing her clothing from casual track pants and t-shirt to her school uniform in the middle of summer.

"But why am I wearing your old one?" she asked hesitantly as she walked into the living room.

It was then that a beaming Shizuru skipped out of the room, clad in a lavender summer dress with her hands clasped together.

"Because, my dear Natsuki, we're going job hunting!"

Party streamers and victory fanfare suddenly appeared from thin air as the girl spoke excitedly.

A cloud of disgruntled emotions fell over the girl as she looked at the excessively happy person standing before her.

"…And why is that?"

"Ah, you seem to have forgotten the fact that we have no money. So to get money we need to work. Plus it'll give us something interesting to do with our lives for the rest of summer before school starts again."

One had to admit, Shizuru had a point; they _were_ in need of money. Natsuki leaned against the back of the couch.

"True, but where are we gonna look anyways? And why do I have to wear this?"

"Because nothing says 'Please give me money!' like a high school uniform."

"WHAT!?" shrieked Natsuki at the very top of her lungs, "I'M NOT NAO!"

Raising her hands defensively and assuring that her little puppy was not truly offended, Shizuru smiled sheepishly.

"You misunderstood. You don't have much professional clothing so I figured that if you wore that you could say you were Fuuka Gakuen's Kaichou."

_Yeah._ _Like I'm going to admit that reaction wasn't priceless…_

Natsuki only snorted and stepped over to her shoes, grabbing a light messenger bag along the way and heading out the door.

_Teasing so early in the day… Twice I've been hit, damn it! Twice!_

----------------------------------------

As the pair walked down the street, Natsuki couldn't help but notice how much Shizuru's eyes were darting around the area rather quickly.

"Hey," she started, while gently pulling on her arm for attention, "what are you so excited about?"

She had also noticed the fact that the other girl's smile had grown even bigger from when they were at the apartment.

"Ah, nothing! It's just been a while since I've been back here. I had forgotten what everything looks like but now that I see it again it's all coming back…" she sighed in relief, "It's nice… I feel at home again."

Those emerald orbs noticed the subtle difference in the older girl's expression. It was as if she had made another breakthrough in feeling peaceful again, consequently making it evident that she had been trying for so very long. Natsuki smiled and looked to the left. They had been walking next to the large park centered in the town. It wasn't too filled with people either.

"Let's put off looking for work 'til later." She tried hard not to blush too hard at her next comment, "We… haven't spent enough quality time together."

It was true. It was only halfway through their second week together, and a few more days without work wouldn't do them any harm.

Seeing the sincerity in the young girl's eyes, Shizuru smiled.

"I'd like that!" she cheered, beaming brightly.

As they walked on an angle from the concrete to the grass, there was something that caught Natsuki's eye. A little ways into the park was a certain large, leafy tree that seemed rather secluded and peaceful, as well as held a place in her memory. Hand in hand, they made their way to the desired place and both sighed in relief when entering the shade.

"It's hotter than I expected today..." muttered Natsuki as she sat against the tree with her legs curled up to her chest.

"Well it _is_ late July... but I agree," replied Shizuru while sitting on a patch of grass next to the other girl and closing her eyes.

The tranquil sound of wind gently brushing against the leaves and grass was enough to make anyone want to sleep, but her daze was shaken when Natsuki leaned her head onto her shoulder. The younger girl's nose had unconsciously brushed against her cheek, forcing an innate reflex to pull back and turn while allowing a short giggle to escape her mouth. It came partially from the tickling sensation, and partially from the fact that their faces were now incredibly close after Natsuki had looked back up; and of course both were exhibiting a pink shade that would later never be admitted to. The laughter only lasted so long though.

At the other end of the gaze, was Natsuki who kept her seriousness. She slowly blinked and sighed into a smile. Her hand rose and found itself wrapped in sandy tresses; she tenderly guided a palm-full of strands closer, again stunning Shizuru with her overt behaviour. Briefly pressing their foreheads together while unconsciously closing her eyes, Natsuki whispered softly, "...I knew I'd find you."

Before Shizuru could respond she was silenced with a kiss. Two pairs of hands slowly began to trace the outlines of each other's figures, taking in all that their senses could before...

"Well there's the back of someone's head I haven't seen in a while!" chimed the oldest redhead known to the couple... whether she'd admit it or not.

The two girls quickly broke apart, as per Shizuru being shoved away by Natsuki, and accidentally landed in a collection of small shrubs. The blue-haired girl was left trying not to grin like an idiot in front of the teacher. Although due to the awkward tension of small muscles, it formed a rather odd look. Like that of a child who was just caught eating too many cookies and then threw the jar aside when the evidence was right there on her face.

"Bah! I wasn't talking about you Natsuki!" Midori said as she came close and extended a hand to the "tossed cookie jar" in the greenery. "So it _is_ you!"

Shizuru accepted the hand with a smile and was lifted to her feet. She dusted off some debris before properly greeting the woman who was supposed to be their superior with a small bow. "Good to see you too, Sugiura-sensei."

"Ah, no need to be so formal! Call me Midori-chan! Natsuki does!"

"I do not!" retorted said girl as she quickly straightened her uniform.

The trio stood in silence for a few seconds... or however long silence could last with Midori around. "So what are you two doing out here in a nice park on a nice day like this?"

Before Natsuki could say anything, Shizuru intervened with her signature bright smile. "We were on our way job hunting but then thought there wasn't much of a rush so why not take a detour?"

"Sounds fun! But hey, Na-chan—"

"Don't call me that!"

"What are you doing in her school uniform?"

Natsuki crossed her arms and entered a pouting state where she only muttered, "Apparently my other clothes aren't nice enough for getting a job..."

The spiky-haired woman smacked a fist against her opposite palm. "Oh that's it! For a second I was thinking someone here has a—"

_Oh no!_

"Don't say it!"

"UNIFORM FETISH!" yelled Midori, a tad too loud for Natsuki's taste... and far too excited as well. Before the enraged biker could beat up her superior, the other girl's laughing broke up her train of thought.

"What's so funny?"

Still fighting to keep her amusement hidden, Shizuru only placed a finger to her chin and looked up in thought.

"Oh there's not going to be any of that today, Natsuki, so don't fret." The youngest sighed in relief for but a brief moment of bliss before more was added to the previous sentence, "Nope, not today. Not practical. Perhaps tomorrow?"

Natsuki's head jerked around her neck like some creepy doll, the blatant fear forcing more laughter out of now both the other people.

_Why does everyone insist on teasing me?!_

After she had regained focus on the situation, Midori cleared her throat and spoke like a true leader. One who wasn't exactly sure what she was leading, but certainly knew how to lead nonetheless.

"If you two are looking for jobs, I have the perfect solution! There are some openings at my current place and I'm sure you two qualify."

The two girls' eyes lit up with excitement.

_Wow! We're gonna get to go on some cool adventure. Maybe we'll find some artifact worth billions!_

So with that, the three left the park and headed back to the main road that led to Midori's workplace.

----------------------------------------------

While Midori pushed the two doors open, both Natsuki and Shizuru were left staring up, eyes twitching, at the cheesy sign that read the name of the same old diner that had become the center of attention over the past years.

"But... but... Buried treasure!" shouted Natsuki, unwilling to take another step inside.

"Buried treasure? What do you think I am? A pirate?"

Midori grabbed the pair's wrists and dragged them inside. With the snap of her fingers she called forth the two hardest working waitresses.

"Akane-chan! Mai-chan!"

Said girls, plus the marsupial attached to Mai's back, rushed to Midori's sides with well-trained salutes.

"Yes, Commander?"

_Commander?_ thought the still-disappointed couple in unison before Natsuki dared to mention.

"Weren't you on a trip only like... four or so days ago?"

"How observant, Na-chan!"

"Stop saying that!"

_And actually Mai mentioned it when she called to check up on me the other day…_

"I was away but it just so happened that flying purple people eaters DO exist and..."

_Purple people eaters…_ Shizuru fazed off into a trance.

"…So anyway! Will you two take the two openings?"

Despite the fact that it was such trivial and unexciting work compared to what they had led themselves to believe, both Shizuru and Natsuki reluctantly sighed and nodded.

"Good!" Midori snapped her fingers, "Akane-chan! Mai-chan!"

Silence. Two pokes from Mikoto.

"Right here Midori-chan..."

"Right! Akane-chan, get the uniforms!"

The shy girl sped off into the back.

Natsuki shivered at the word, but dealt with it.

"Mai-chan, commence training!"

The redhead and her pet grunted in acceptance of their orders, still keeping their stiff form.

"Midori-chan! Permission to greet and tell Natsuki-baka and Kaichou-san that working here isn't as harsh as you, for some reason, enjoy making it out to be?!"

By now the "commander" was already walking away from the scene with one hand on her pocket and the other waving nonchalantly in the air.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Sighing in relief and quickly relaxing, Mai took a step forward and bowed politely.

"It's good to see you again!"

In her eyes, it really was. She had been witness to Natsuki's depression for the past year and to see the look in her eyes like it was all forgotten was refreshing.

"And really, don't worry about her. The work is actually pretty easy, especially if it's going to be divided amongst the five of us now."

"Mai-chan, here are the uniforms!" called out Akane who had been rushing as was her usual temperament.

"I have to get back to the customers now!" and she sprinted away again while Mai simply looked up and seemed to be counting in her head. Right on cue, Akane came running back; head low.

"Ah forgive me! Hello Kaichou-san! Kuga-san!" Only after a proper greeting could the brunette return to being the nervous wreck she was at work.

----------------------------------------

It had been a long training hour, but Natsuki was finally able to balance four plates on her arms.

"Seriously... can't I just work in the back with Kazuya? It's so much easier than having to deal with not breaking people's food on them by accident..." She looked over at Shizuru who had already begun serving people, having completed her training within ten minutes, "Plus it makes my ego hurt..."

"There's no way I'm letting _you_ near a deep fryer!" screamed both girls simultaneously, leaving Natsuki defeated. Sulking, she walked over to a newly occupied table and began taking orders.

On the other side of the counter Mai observed carefully, making sure that nothing too catastrophic happened. Silently Shizuru walked up beside her.

"I wanted to thank you in person, Mai-san," she began softly, "I don't know where I would be if it weren't for your support." Mai tried to reply with her usual 'It was nothing.' but was hugged tightly by the older girl, "Really. Thank you."

Just then, Natsuki came running back, out of breath and waving a paper around in Mai's face.

"Food! Now!"

The black-haired pet, still hooked on its owner, pointed to the back where Kazuya and some others were preparing food. Natsuki slammed the note on the back counter and returned to the group. The exhausted girl closed her jade eyes and leaned back on the wall.

"This better get easier..."

"Oh don't worry! It does, Na-chan!"

Midori reassured after coming out from the back and adjusting small flaws on her uniform. She was met with glares and looks that said 'Are we supposed to believe you took that long to change?'

Unspoken, the group decided to take a short break and chat behind the counter. Once again, Midori smacked her fist into her palm.

"I got it!" she exclaimed while proceeding to point at the five girls including herself, "I know what this reminds me of!"

Putting it together, what it was that these five had in common that only Midori could be excited about, Natsuki sprung to attention, almost about to tackle the burning "seventeen-year-old" but was too late.

"DON'T SAY IT!"

"HiME-SENTAI!" she yelled as she raised a flag in place of her usual labrys. Where did the flag come from? Probably what she was working on in the back. All the girls could see were pictures of the faces of the original members sewn into the white background; with Akane's face having been sewn over Nao's (you could still see some red hair coming out from behind).

Silence covered them, leaving massive sweatdrops behind the heads of all, save two. One of those two was, of course, Midori who was smiling like a drunkard (perhaps she needed some refreshments during her flag making); the other was rather confused Shizuru who looked at the others' expressions before clearing her throat.

"I don't mean to be rude but... What's a HiME-sentai?"


	5. Ruv

A/N: OOCed Natsuki in this, but it's worth it in a good way heehee.

**Thanks to Swarm012, deatheater2493, rainee-chan, lindred, Bad one, and everyone else who read!**

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**Chapter 4: "Ruv"**

Where we left off…

"…What's a HiME-sentai?" asked a clearly confused Shizuru.

While the four youngest were trying to find the right words to explain the "genius" concoction that came up in Midori's head years ago, said teacher blatantly responded with:

"Oh yeah…" she rubbed the back of her neck, "You weren't part of the original group…"

Natsuki smacked her over the head.

"Well, you don't have to say it like that!"

"Ow… Okay, okay, I'm sorry… But you know what I mean!"

The girl in question merely raised an eyebrow, retaining her usual calmness while trying to figure out what to say. There wasn't much that could stump her, but she deemed this case an exception and took her time to ponder her words carefully.

"And besides! Akane isn't part of the original group either!"

"Hey!" protested the normally shy girl, annoyed with the fact that she had been metaphorically shoved to the back.

"Sorry. But anyways, it doesn't matter because there's no way I'm gonna call myself part of any sort of "rangers" group more than once in a lifetime."

"But… I made a flag and everything!" continued the commander, waving the object from side to side before it was brutally snatched away by Natsuki who started running around to dodge Midori's attempts to get it back.

While those two were busy, the other three took the liberty of explaining the whole story to a bemused Shizuru.

"Basically," Mai started, "after the Searrs invasion, Midori thought it was best if we fought as a group. But as you know, we didn't know who everyone was at that point, so the "original" HiME-sentai consists of Me, Mikoto, Natsuki, Nao, Midori, Yukino and Sister. As for the name, it goes along with us all being -" she was cut off.

"Heroes of justice!" exclaimed Shizuru in her signature "happy-pose", earning the gaped-mouth stares of all her friends.

Abandoning her flag, Midori rushed over and grabbed the girl's hands with sparkling eyes. This was the first time anyone had been excited about her idea, and she even used the term "heroes of justice" on her own.

"You really mean it? You aren't just saying it because I promise karaoke parties for meetings?"

"Hey! I didn't _just_ like it for that!" interjected Mai.

_Though yeah… it was a big factor with the name._

Meanwhile, Natsuki was left with her mouth wide open, now stuck holding the ridiculous flag.

"How can you like it? It's so corny!"

Shizuru then moved from her happy-pose to her thoughtful-pose, looking up at the ceiling.

"Well to be honest… I think it's good that at least _something _amusing came out of that whole… catastrophe…"

The group took a moment to reflect seriously before quickly shaking off depressing thoughts and moving on.

Midori, still attached to Shizuru, began tugging on her arms.

"So does that mean you'll come to the meetings now?" she looked over at Natsuki, "Which means you'll be coming too, right?"

_Not good! If she says yes, then I can't say no… but I really don't want to go! Damn it please say no!_

Natsuki stammered mentally, panicking at the prospect of being dragged into such a demeaning organization.

"Of course, I'll come! I love karaoke!"

Everyone turned their attention to a certain red-head.

"No Mai… we weren't asking you… We know _you'll_ come."

Back to the situation at hand, Shizuru was still thinking about it. Whether it was just to see Natsuki lay in wait more, or if the decision actually needed that much thought, no one knew.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline," the girl murmured softly, looking over at the navy-haired girl who was about to pass out from shock.

_I can't believe it! She actually said no! Good things DO happen to good people!_

The girl began to leap for joy, unconsciously waving the very same flag she detested simply for the lack of any other object. On the other side of things, Midori had turned white and began sulking in the corner, poking a wall and sniffling loudly. Mai and Mikoto had gone to her side, trying to cheer her up with promises that they would be glad to double the meetings to make it up to her; of course phrasing it in a way that didn't show their own motives for wanting more.

Meanwhile, Shizuru was standing idly while trying to think of something to say. She didn't know that her not being there would have that much of an impact. However, before she could get any words out, Natsuki rushed over making the victory sign with one extended arm while the other loosely hung across Shizuru's shoulders.

"Ha! I win! Sorry, Midori, but it seems that girlfriend has won over drunken teacher!"

Everyone stared at her, though Natsuki was too busy gloating to realize what she had just said. Although, once she opened her eyes, which had been shut from her smiling, and actually noticed the fact that something had got their attention, the past few seconds came rushing back to her. Unfortunately, all at once, and all in her face.

The girl beneath her started giggling and moved her eyes to the side, getting Natsuki in her view.

"Ara, did I just hear Natsuki officially establish us as a couple? And in public no less?"

Suddenly, the younger girl dropped like dead weight. Everyone's eyes fell on her, and only Shizuru managed to grab her arm, assuring that at least her face didn't hit the floor. After shaking Natsuki up and down a bit with no response, she sighed.

"Hmm… I think she really did faint. Would it be alright if we left early?"

Midori, somehow in charge and trying not to laugh, nodded with a big grin.

"Alright! But be here Monday morning ready to work."

"Err… Kaichou-san? Are you going to be okay to take her home by yourself? Do you want me to call Yuuichi?" Mai asked sincerely.

Shizuru shook her head no.

"Thank you, but I'll be fine."

Then, with fairly surprising strength, the girl lifted Natsuki up and over her shoulder. Dutiful as she was, Akane had already rushed into the back room and brought out their normal clothes in a bag, which was taken by Shizuru's other hand.

"See you all Monday then!" she said flashing everyone a bright smile and heading out the door.

----------------------------------------

Everything was black in Natsuki's head; black and quiet. She started feeling as if she was being raised and lowered in a certain pattern, along with her top half being significantly heavier. Her hearing started to come back and she noticed the familiar sounds of the city. After that was her sight. It was hazy at first but eventually she saw bright red frills.

_Oh no did I die and go to Hell?!_

Her thought only caused her to grumble out loud, alerting the one carrying her that her consciousness was returning. However, due to the position and having the inner oyaji that she did, Shizuru was reluctant to put Natsuki down just yet. Not to mention it would be bad for her to just stumble and fall over again.

"Ugh… Where am I?"

"We're in the middle of the sidewalk about to walk up the path to our apartment."

"Huh? Why can't I feel my legs moving?" Natsuki shook her head quickly, "Holy crap I'm gonna fall!"

Of course if she were thinking rationally, Natsuki would have noticed that she hadn't fallen as of yet by staying still… And that flailing around in a panic was not the best idea.

Shizuru was unable to control the girl, especially being surprised from the sudden movements. Unfortunately for her, Natsuki ended up kneeing her in the gut, causing her to fall over, winded; and worse, the younger girl fell on top of her, again forcing the oxygen from Shizuru's lungs.

Rubbing her head and trying to get to her knees, Natsuki finally regained her senses. Now the tables had turned. Having been hit twice, Shizuru now lay on the ground unconscious while Natsuki was left trying not to explode.

"Oh my God! I killed her! NO! Damn it, wake up!"

She shook the older girl's shoulders but there was no response. Natsuki flipped her over so at least she wasn't face down anymore and sighed in relief when she noticed that Shizuru was in fact still breathing and not dead. The girl looked through the bag she had brought with them for the keys, and once they were in hand, she stood up to consider the best route in bringing her girlfriend in.

Natsuki strapped the bag over her shoulder and then bent down to scoop up the other girl in her arms. The bridal-styled carrying was not intentional, but after thinking it over momentarily, the girl couldn't deny that it was the best way to be doing this.

After a very awkward ten minutes of trying to carry everything upstairs, Natsuki had made it into the apartment and quickly went to place Shizuru on the couch. She sat down on the floor and tossed the bag aside. A worrisome expression fell over the blunette and she couldn't help but poke the sleeping beauty in front of her in attempt to wake her.

"…I'm sorry…" she murmured, hoping that that could break the spell, but it didn't. Natsuki sighed and rose to her knees, placing her chin on the edge of the cushion next to Shizuru's head. Sitting somewhat like an eager puppy with her hands in front of her legs, the girl simply stared and waited.

…_She really does look like a princess…_ thought Natsuki with a smile, before a sudden idea hit her.

_Oh… So even while unconscious that's the game you're playing? You just want me to kiss you so you're knowingly unknowingly keeping yourself asleep! Well I'm not falling for that!_

And so the girl turned to sit facing away from the couch with her arms across her chest in a pout.

_I won't do it! I won't fall for it!_

After a few minutes however, she couldn't bear the thought of the silence and so Natsuki turned around; and again like a puppy propped her upper body up on the couch with her hands while balancing her weight on her knees. She tucked her hair back and leaned down, hovering for a moment before pressing their lips together.

About ten seconds later, after nothing happened, Natsuki had shifted from romantic to frustrated. She jumped to her feet and pointed angrily at the unconscious Shizuru on the couch.

"Aren't princesses supposed to wake up after that!? What the frak!"

She then stormed off with a pout to her room to get changed.

When she came back, clothed in normal pants and a shirt, Natsuki sat on the back of the couch and looked down. She thought for a moment before another idea came to her head.

_If I were unconscious and needed waking, mayo would definitely do it! So if we use basic cross multiplication between mayo, Shizuru, and me… we would get tea!_

Somehow she must have sent that message telepathically, since just as she was about to leave, a gentle voice called her name.

"Natsuki… Are you there? What happened?"

She placed a hand on her ribs and tried to lean up but fell back just as fast.

"Take it easy. You blacked out for about twenty minutes after… umm… you got the air knocked out of you."

"…Oh? And how did that happen?" she asked with a smirk.

"Ehh… Well… I kinda freaked out when you were carrying me and I think I kicked you… Then I fell on top of you and then you wouldn't get up."

Shizuru gasped, feigning hurt.

"I could have been dead! You didn't take me to the hospital?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes and put on her tough armour.

"I didn't think you could get taken out by two hits like that for too long. Plus I saw you breathing so I knew it was just a matter of time."

--------------------------------------

The rest of the afternoon and early evening passed by smoothly. Shizuru was pretty much confined to the sofa, but Natsuki made sure to take care of every little errand. Even the ones that were clearly made up just to annoy her. Again she ended up making sandwiches for dinner. It was really the only thing that consisted of all four food groups in one serving; and since the guilt was getting to her, Natsuki wouldn't even let herself have mayo. An act that didn't go unnoticed.

"Ara? There's something different… I can't seem to tell them apart."

Said the older girl sarcastically.

Natsuki blushed slightly as she handed Shizuru her plate and sat down next to her on the couch.

"…I know you don't like it."

The two ate quietly and calmly before Natsuki ventured asking a question.

"Not that I was enthused by the idea… but why did you turn down Midori's offer to go to the "power rangers" meetings? You seemed pretty happy…"

Shizuru sighed into a solemn half-smile as she put the plate on the coffee table. Leaning back, she closed her eyes for a moment to think of the best way to phrase her answer.

"Hmm… I was but…" she turned to face Natsuki, her smile now brighter, though it seemed only to hold against the sadness behind it, "I suppose I'm still not ready to be around everyone at once yet… especially if both Kikukawa-san and Yuuki-san would be there also…"

Natsuki froze for a moment.

_So that's why… she still holds it against herself…_

"I'm torn really," the older girl continued, "With Mai-san and everyone at work its fine… because there's another reason we're together. I got caught up in the excitement of being a Hero of Justice… But after thinking about it… no… I'm not ready to really move on from it yet I guess… It may be weak but-"

Natsuki was about to speak out about how Shizuru should do what she wants no matter what anyone else's opinions were until she realized the weight of the expression on her face.

_I best leave it at that for now…_

Instead, Natsuki cut her off with a warm embrace before whispering in her ear.

"…You… aren't weak…"

----------------------------------------

The couple spent the next hour or so enjoying the other's company. For someone who was known for being an ice princess, Natsuki's couch was one of those very-easy-to-cuddle-on couches. The girl leant her head back and looked at the clock on the wall; though upside down, she could still tell the time.

"Eleven… I guess we should head to sleep… though of course we can continue this there."

Shizuru chuckled while getting up from laying on Natsuki.

"I suppose."

She stretched for a second before going to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. The blunette gathered the dishes together and placed them in the sink then went to her room to change. By the time she was finished Shizuru was done in the bathroom and was walking back to the bed. Natsuki however stood arms-crossed in the doorway.

"Alright. It's been kinda rushed and different since you moved in, so I haven't had a chance to do my normal thing. Basically, I know it's weird but don't laugh anyway!"

Of course, when it came to laughing at Natsuki being weird, Shizuru would laugh no matter what anyone said.

"Hey! Stop giggling! You didn't even see it yet…"

The older girl calmed herself for a minute to smile at the younger.

"I already know your bedtime ritual and its… weirdness."

"…Eh?"

"Don't you remember that time in middle school? It was a while after I finally got you to talk openly with me and you were sick so I went over to take care of you?"

----------------------------------------Flashback----------------------------------------

It had been some time ago that Shizuru had managed to get Natsuki's attention. At this point it was safe to consider them close friends. Even if the middle-schooler wouldn't open up to anyone else, that one person was all she needed.

Today was a typical mid-December day; although if one were to look at it as the specific day of the nineteenth, this day would not be at all ordinary. Right after exams had ended, for Natsuki at least, the stress of school had subsided. Of course this meant her immune system would be hit like a truck. As it were, she sat on her couch, rapidly mashing the video game controller. All her concentration was focused on this last boss, that is, until a knocking at her door caused her to stop. However, to Natsuki's surprise, not pressing any buttons near the end allowed her character to go into an automatic block while the enemy automatically died from being poisoned.

_Holy crap… that was good luck…_

She thought as she went through a quick save process, turned off the console and went to see who was at her door; after all, she didn't think she had ever gotten a visitor before. The girl opened the door cautiously while still keeping the chain in place.

"…Shizuru?"

"Hai!" responded the older girl with a smile, "Natsuki was sick so I decided to drop by."

Annoyed with the door in the way, Natsuki closed it briefly to unlock the chain before inviting her friend in.

"I'm sorry about the mess, I wasn't expecting anyone," she paused in thought, "Hey how did you know I was sick anyways?"

Shizuru smirked.

"When you skip you never call the school and this time you did. Not to mention I actually heard your voice on the message… Are you feeling any better from this morning?"

"A bit… still exhausted though… I don't feel like doing anything. I guess that's good though since I need the rest."

Happy that for once, Natsuki was actually listening to her body, Shizuru grinned and pulled something out of her bag.

"What's that?"

"Tea."

"You bring it with you everywhere? You're _that_ addicted?"

Shizuru chuckled.

"Well, I am, but this is special. I brought you a kind that is capable of clearing up cold symptoms overnight," her eyes suddenly glowed with power, "So you're going to have it no matter what!"

Stepping back in fear, Natsuki nodded swiftly and pointed towards the kitchen. She followed suit and sat at a chair, watching the preparations intently.

"Shouldn't you be working on class council stuff? Or studying or… something?"

"Ara? Does Natsuki not want me here?"

"That's not it! It's just… I'm sick, tired and even more boring than usual… yet you're here making me tea?"

"Don't worry. I'm exactly where I want to be."

----------------------------------------

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching movies and drinking tea. The two girls sat at different ends of the couch with their feet on the cushions, just barely meeting in the middle. Suddenly, Shizuru felt a poking in her foot. She looked away from the screen and over at Natsuki who continued to watch the movie but had a playful smirk on her face. Sensing a game beginning, the tan-haired girl faced forward and kicked back. However, since she had spent years practicing the art of "personal-mask-wearing," it was all too easy for Shizuru to act innocently.

Natsuki on the other hand started to get paranoid after the next few rounds of this. Though intellectually a part of her probably knew what was going on – she had started it after all – Shizuru's expression told her that it was all in her head.

_Her smile… On one hand I wish she could always smile like that… But selfishly on the other I love that it is only for me… What am I thinking? We're friends; friends play with each other and have fun all the time… That's it. Right._

Shaking her thoughts away, Shizuru stood up when the credits of the last movie started to play. She took the tray of teacups and jelly bowls away into the kitchen and placed them in the sink while looking out the window. The snow was falling slowly, but the flakes were thick. They shone in the orange glow of the streetlights, somehow hypnotizing the girl's crimson eyes.

"Ahh it's late… I should be going to sleep…" the voice shook the older girl from her trance, "I do feel a lot better already though! That tea really is miracle stuff!"

Shizuru giggled, though with little mirth in her voice.

"I guess I'll go home now, too."

It was time for the day to end; in fact it was long past it. _It's always like this isn't it…?_ she asked herself.

_Even when I push something past it's limit…I still haven't had my fill…What is wrong with me?_

"No."

Shizuru's eyes widened in surprised as she turned around seeing Natsuki blush slightly with embarrassment.

_Why will I do anything for that face?_

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

Whether it was the tea in her system or the fact that the Ice Princess had melted a little inside, the girl in question didn't know. All she did was keep up her cute expression and hide her hands behind her back, swiveling on her heel slowly.

"I want you to tuck me in!"

…_What did she just say?_

Shizuru's heart fluttered for a brief moment as she stared forward in awe.

_Is this a joke or…? No… she's serious… I can't believe it._

Composing herself and hiding the tears of joy behind her eyes, the older girl walked forward and patted the younger on the head.

"As my Natsuki wishes!" she smiled.

The blunette grinned and rushed off into the bathroom. As quickly as she vanished she reappeared with toothbrush and toothpaste in hand, leaving the other girl standing in the doorway to the room looking very confused.

"Okay you're probably going to laugh at me, but this is how I do things every night."

Intrigued by this odd behaviour, Shizuru simply watched as Natsuki lay down on her bed, upside down, and hung her head over the edge. From there she brushed her teeth as usual and when it came time to rinse, the girl went back to the bathroom.

Shizuru giggled again.

_How very cute… Different! Yes that's what I meant… different…_

When Natsuki came back out, she had a hairbrush and an elastic in hand. Again she lay down on her bed backwards and hung her head over the end. Letting her shining, midnight locks flow down and almost touch the floor. Shizuru could simply gaze as if it were all happening in slow motion. However a little voice in her head had caught her staring and quickly urged her to say something.

"Ara… so why is it that Natsuki does this before she sleeps?"

"Well, this is really the only way I can be sure all my hair is tied when I sleep. I don't like it in my face when I try," she replied while twisting the band around her hair tightly, "As for the teeth brushing… I guess I just made a habit out of it… I don't remember how it started."

"I see…"

With her hair safely secured, Natsuki rolled over and gripped her blankets before completing her turn and landing under them. She tilted her head to look at her friend.

"What are you doing standing? Come sit here!" she patted beside her on the bed and moved over a bit.

Shaken out of her daze again, Shizuru walked over and sat. Honestly she felt kind of awkward. These two were alone in the apartment and Natsuki would be asleep soon. Not that she was thinking "impure thoughts" at the time; it was simply odd to leave on one's own after the host had fallen asleep.

_Ah but I did come here on my own… and… I would kill for this moment to last…_

She looked down at the girl below her.

"Natsuki, you don't even have a pillow. Here," she reached to grab one from the head of the bed.

"Oh, no I don't use one to fall asleep. But I wake up halfway through the night and turn around so that I wake up with them."

_She likes it this way so much, I can see it in her eyes. I guess I shouldn't tell her she might not wake up in the night if she slept properly in the first place._

"I should turn the lights off. It'll be hard on your eyes when you can just use a lamp."

Again a protest.

"No. I need the big light on to sleep."

It was taking all Shizuru had to not laugh at the girl's very odd nighttime ritual. The more Natsuki's quirkiness continued.

_The more I fall in love with her…_

Though the final admitting of emotions moved her, it was not surprising.

_Love…_

She said over again in her head as her mask floated away, revealing a smile so genuine this was the first time it had ever been used. Unaware of the inner workings of her friend's mind, or heart for that matter, Natsuki merely returned the smile and held out her hand.

"I need to hold onto something when I fall asleep."

Taken aback slightly, Shizuru was about to fumble around for a stuffed animal when her hand was forcefully grabbed from her. Held by Natsuki's at her side.

_How does your heart survive living alone? If you truly are in this much need… I can't deny you…_

Laughing tenderly, the older girl covered the blunette's eyes gently.

"You know, you'll sleep better if you close your eyes."

Natsuki giggled as she let her eyelids gently be shut by the soft fingertips.

Silence blanketed them for close to twenty minutes. Shizuru couldn't help but avert her gaze briefly to look out the window at the snow again; although even the rhythmic pattern of the flakes could not be outmatched by the rhythmic pattern of Natsuki's heartbeat. Rather suddenly, Shizuru felt it decrease in the palm of her hand. Looking back down, her mouth gaped open ever so slightly.

_I just felt, literally in the palm of my hand, a being move from consciousness to unconsciousness…_

She put a hand up to her eyes.

_Who knew it could be this touching?_

It took all of her mental power to smoothly slip her hand away and get up from the bed without making any noise. Shizuru gracefully walked away from the bed and took one last look at the girl before her.

"Goodnight Natsuki," she flicked the light off, "I love you…"

----------------------------------------End Flashback----------------------------------------

And now, all these years later… after everything they had been through. Shizuru was once again in the same position. Natsuki had quickly fallen asleep on the bed, leaving her to watch in the doorway before turning off the light. She fluidly crawled beneath the covers and pulled the girl close.

"Goodnight Natsuki… I still love you…"

"Mmm," mumbled a sleeping wolf puppy, "A ruv roo too mm…"

…_KAWAII!!!_

----------------------------------------

A/N: Sorry to lindred and others who wanted to see Shizuru join the HiME-Sentai in this chapter. I needed a tad bit of angst to make future fluffy moments even better. I hope I made up for it with the flashback. I don't know if it's ever been shown canon when Shizuru realized her love but this is the way I would have imagined it.


	6. At the End of the Day

A/N: Now it's Shizuru's turn to be OOCed.

**Thanks to bbgurl162, ****-Trinity- of April beauty., rainee-chan, chum-sa, Kosia., elfspirit7, lindred, and everyone else who read!**

----------------------------------------

**Chapter 5: "At the End of the Day"**

"At the end of the day, you're all just a bunch of prankster kids."

----------------------------------------Flashback----------------------------------------

Natsuki woke up to the annoying sound of her phone ringing. Her eyes fluttered for a moment before her brows furrowed and she looked directly into the sunlight. She mumbled a curse but the pain was gone the instant she looked down. Wrapped around her neck was a fake-sleeping Shizuru who simply wanted to keep cuddling until Natsuki had to wake up. Luckily for her, the blunette usually woke up by mid-day which left a good four hours of hug time from the time she woke.

The phone rang again.

"Hai, hai…" grumbled the girl as she reached onto her nightstand and flipped open her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Natsuki! What's up?" asked Mai on the other end of the phone.

"Eh… not much… Just woke up…"

The girl giggled. All Natsuki could think of was how the best people can interrupt at the worst of times. With a smirk, it was then that the older girl decided to make her move. Slowly arching her back in a stretch, pushing her body against Natsuki's, Shizuru hugged the girl closer and slowly slid one of her legs on top.

Natsuki, who was now mumbling one-word answers on the phone, was also failing at keeping her uncontrollable blush to herself. Still with closed eyes, Shizuru followed her memory and senses to slide on top of her heart's desire, planting gentle kisses along her arm and collarbone.

"Natsuki! Are you even listening?"

The girl's breath hitched.

"Uh, yeah sorry. Umm Mai would you mind calling me back in say uhh an hour?"

She felt a pinch on her side.

"Ah! Okay two hours! Two hours!"

On the other end of the line Mai raised an eyebrow, paused, and then burst out laughing while grinning like an idiot.

"I am SO sorry Natsuki! My bad! My bad! I should have figured you and Kaichou-san were busy."

Flushed with embarrassment, Natsuki tried to stutter out a denial…

"No! Eh! She's not-!"

…And her plan was ruined.

"…not Kaichou anymore Mai-san." Said Shizuru as she leaned her head on the phone that was unconsciously lifted up by Natsuki herself.

What could she say? It was a habit to hold up a phone to someone who signaled they wanted to talk. However now she was stuck holding it up for the entirely of the conversation… since the ruby-eyed girl's hands were trailing elsewhere.

"That's right, Fujino-san then?"

"Shizuru is fine."

"Ah, alright… so…" she was about to leave.

"So what are you going to be doing today Mai-san?" she asked as she leaned in and kissed Natsuki for a second while the caller answered.

"Me? Well Yuuichi and I were gonna go to the park…" Mai lied, though knowing what was going on at the other end of the phone. Replying to the questions only made it harder to hold back a laugh.

_I can't believe she's still talking to me when they're in the middle of… stuff… This is too funny!_

"That sounds like fun!" she beamed, "Is Mikoto-chan going too?"

"AHEM!" The girl below cleared her throat.

"If the two of you are going to continue this would you mind not staying on top of me?"

"Ha! Told you she was the bottom! Where's my thousand yen Aoi!" shouted a voice in the background. Natsuki's eyes widened in an instant.

"Mai! Who was that?"

"Chie shut up! She's gonna hear you!" Mai said to the background before turning her attention to the phone, "It was… the pizza guy!"

"…Mai…" Natsuki grit her teeth, "…Am I on speaker phone…?"

"…Nooooo." Replied the girl sheepishly, trying to get the couple on her end of the line to stop giggling so much.

The blunette's eye twitched and just as she was about to begin screaming profanities she immediately switched places with the girl above her; enough to shock her and stop. However she was still held captive by Shizuru's limbs that wrapped her legs and body. Natsuki's breath was then forcibly taken from her and she laid her head in the soft pile of hair.

"Ara… Natsuki is busy right now but I'm sure she'll be on her way to beat you senseless in exactly two hours."

"Hai, hai…" said Mai nervously as she hung up.

On Natsuki's side she merely sighed until poked. She looked up to see Shizuru grinning wide.

"Are you ready for revenge?"

"…Hmm?"

"Get up! We're about to crash their party two hours early!"

----------------------------------------

After dressing and eating rather quickly, the couple began walking to the Fuuka dorms where their victims were waiting to feel the wrath brought on by their prank.

"So what are we gonna do to them?"

"Payback… But first we need our weapons."

Natsuki looked wide-eyed.

_Weapons?_

"Not real ones!" confirmed Shizuru while pointing to a department store, "Ah there it is! We can get what we need in here."

Natsuki just shrugged as she watched the older girl skip off into the store and followed. She was led through various beach materials before stopping in her tracks and staring at the massive shelves in front of her. They were lined with every type of super soaker ever made. The girl's jaw dropped as she shakily pointed at the goods.

"A-are you serious?!"

"Of course!" giggled Shizuru before turning around with a completely evil expression.

_They made you too tense to be fun with before… This is my payback too!_

"Eh? Helloooooo? How long are you going to stare off like that? Let's go!"

Although patience had already reached its end with the blunette and she quickly began running through the aisles packing on everything that she could. Before buying anything, Natsuki needed to make sure there was enough to cause some "real damage" (or as much as a super soaker could do) but also that it wasn't going to be too heavy.

First she went for the big one. The girl strapped it to her back and then went through the aisles again, placing smaller pistols in her side pockets. Natsuki found that some even came with holsters that could be strapped to her arms, which is exactly what she did.

Once fully prepared, she ran out into the main intersection of the toy department and looked around.

"Hey where'd she go?" asked the girl as her light green eyes scanned the area.

Though her eyes served no good at the moment, her ears were able to pick up faint giggling from the pool section. Natsuki's assumptions were proven true when she found Shizuru over in the pool section swinging around brightly coloured floatation noodles.

"What are you planning on doing? Whacking them over the head?"

"Yes." Replied Shizuru bluntly with a grin of either sheer happiness or pure evil… or was it both?

Natsuki chose to stand back and allow her girlfriend to pick out two purple spongy columns and hold them at her sides.

"Right! Now we need disguises!"

Before the blunette could protest she was dragged to the clothing section. This part of their shopping didn't last nearly as long as before… mostly because Natsuki wasn't enthralled by fabric as much as she was by plastic weaponry. In a flash Shizuru returned with black scarves and sunglasses.

"Alright! We're done here and we still have an hour and a half until our expected arrival!"

With that the pair headed for the cash to pay for their items with their newly acquired paychecks.

----------------------------------------

Meanwhile…

"So Mai…" began Chie, "It's been half an hour and they aren't here yet… you really think they're actually so busy that we shouldn't prepare?"

Mai sat back in a large black chair. With both arms on the rests she took a rather authoritative position before rubbing her chin in thought.

"On one hand Shizuru-san would not want to be disturbed so taking two hours would seem likely… On the other hand since we did disturb her she is probably going to bring down her wrath upon us…"

"What about Natsuki's reaction?" inquired Aoi.

"What about her? Wherever Shizuru-san goes, she goes," she giggled.

_Too cute really…_

"So what's our battle plan?"

Mai got up and ruffled beneath the cushion of the chair before pulling out a large brightly coloured bag.

"My loyal servants!"

…_Loyal servants?_

Chie and Aoi looked at each other skeptically before moving on.

"Our fortress is about to be attacked! Fill the balloons with water! Mikoto… prepare 'it'."

The girl gulped.

"'It'?"

"Yes. Now let's hurry, we don't know when they will arrive!"

And so Chie and Aoi went to fill the balloons with water and pile them in two large buckets, Mai began rearranging furniture in the proper position for defending, and Mikoto went to find a large contraption from back in their closet.

"Yes, set it up here," said Mai as she gestured to a spot behind a chair that she tipped over to make for a good defense, as it could now guard from the front and above.

Although it had occurred to her that what was about to happen could lead to a potential fine if this were regular school hours, the girl had deduced that since there was hardly anyone in the dorms at this time of the year they would be able to clean up before anyone found out.

What the black-haired girl had pulled out and began setting up what appeared to be a makeshift catapult. It was pretty poorly designed too. Despite her previous confidence, Mai realized they could be in for a problem when she noticed that the dust Mikoto had blown off actually made it visibly decrease in size.

Oh well… she mentally shrugged and continued to fix the room and hide any valuables that she didn't want caught in the crossfire.

Soon enough, all the quarto had to do was wait…

----------------------------------------

Armed and not-so-dangerous, clad incognito, and crouched at two ends of a hallway in the Fuuka dorms were Shizuru and Natsuki, waiting for the chance to strike. Both wore a black scarf over their head, despite the heat that prompted the whole idea of a water-based fight. With that covering their hair and large sunglasses over their eyes, all distinguishing features were hidden.

It was odd to think that such accessories would hide them when one was loaded with brightly coloured plastic guns and the other had two large floatation noodles that she was beginning to regret choosing considering the fact that they hit almost everything along the way.

Nevertheless, the revenge-bound couple managed to "break into" the dorms. It wasn't so much of breaking in as it was Natsuki using immaculate aim to shoot the security guard in the ear with a small jet of water. When he cursed and bent down to shake it out the two girls ran for the stairs.

When they made it to Mai's floor, Shizuru motioned for them to stay silent as they tip toed down the hallway and then placed a hand on the door handle.

The handle on the door slowly turned, causing the girls inside the room to clench with anticipation. Mai gulped and gripped her water balloon hard and took aim… but nothing happened.

The growing expectation became quite anti climactic as on the other side of the door, muffled ranting could be heard.

"Damn it Shizuru let's just kick it in!"

"We can't do that! That's breaking school property!"

"But it would look so much cooler to break through then to politely open the door."

"Who said I was doing it politely? It was for added suspense…"

"Oh whatever let's just do it together!"

A pause.

"SHUT UP WITH THAT FACE!"

"Ara… What face?"

"Your face!" Natsuki had ended up accidentally waving her arm in a possibly offensive gesture. She also happened to put more emphasis on "face" than "your".

"Mou… Natsuki is so mean to me… She doesn't think I'm pretty!"

"Bah! Whatever let's go!"

And so the door handle began to slowly turn again, causing the hairs on the defenders' necks to rise. Just as the lock clicked open, the door sung wide with immense force as Natsuki's foot collided with it.

"RRRAAAAHHH!!! VENGEANCE SHALL BE MI-"

The blunette's war cry was interrupted when a balloon hit her square between the eyes causing her to fall over right away.

"Nice Mikoto!" Mai called over to the girl who had taken such good aim with the catapult.

Shizuru had glued herself to the wall with stealth instead of busting in guns-a-blazin' like Natsuki, thus surviving the attack. She looked over at the girl and rolled her eyes dragging her to the side out of the doorway.

"Natsuki? Are you okay?"

The younger girl's eyes still swirled but she shook her thoughts clear quickly. Pumping up her main large super soaker again she got to her feet. Just as she was about to repeat the same mistake, her shoulder was grabbed.

Shizuru gave her a look that said 'No… Now we're doing it my way' and took the lead. Natsuki sighed as she felt that, though effective, the calm way took away from the battle atmosphere.

While that was true… Who ever said that Shizuru's _offensive_ tactics were stealthy?

The older girl gripped a pool noodle in each hand and swung them wildly to deflect any incoming projectiles. Luckily for her, the catapult could only be used once and so she did not have to deal with that, but instead got a lot more soaked than Natsuki. It was all recoil though. She could proudly state that she was never actually hit once during the onslaught.

The blunette had rushed in behind her girlfriend and proceeded to be the attacking force of the pair. First she went for Mikoto, as she was the one she remembered stationed behind the launching device. The neko-girl began leaping around the furniture to dodge Natsuki's aim, but the navy-haired girl hadn't fired yet. She was waiting until she got the perfect shot.

As chance would have it, Aoi's incoming projectile was stopped in mid air, causing the water to splash right on Mikoto's head. This stopped her just long enough to get hit a second time by Natsuki's high-pressure spray. The girl was blasted across the room but landed conveniently in Mai's soft chest area.

"Fearless leader!" called Chie as she was about to rush over to Mai when she was stopped by Natsuki's translucent orange pistol in front of her.

The blunette's forehead had crosses sprouting all over it as her mouth twitched to an evil grin.

"So… You're the one who bet that I was the bottom?"

The gray-haired girl shivered in fear though she had but one secret weapon left. The two intruders had been so consumed that they failed to notice Chie's abnormally larger bosom. Just as Natsuki was about to pull the trigger…

"SELF DESTRUCT!"

Chie yelled as she smacked herself, causing the water balloons inside her bra to break and soak her completely before playing dead and falling to the floor.

"…Eh?"

Blinking, Natsuki's shoulder drooped as she wondered what in the hell just happened.

----------------------------------------

Hearing all the commotion, one of the security guards was about to go and reprimand them all when a certain boisterous teacher arrived. Putting the officer heading in the direction of the noise together with common sense, the woman lifted her hand and told him to halt. After a few kind words and proving that she was faculty, the redhead made it up to the room.

Midori walked in but had her eyes closed nonchalantly.

"Yo you kids were having a party without me?"

Silence filled the room and she opened her eyes to see all the girls soaking wet and with relatively transparent shirts.

"Whoa… what kinda party _was_ this?"

She raised an eyebrow at them as they all muttered something incoherent as an excuse.

The teacher smiled and looked at the girls as a caring superior. Letting out a sigh of relief she turned to leave them to clean up their own mess.

"It just goes to show," she looked up at the ceiling in thought, "No matter what kind of hardships you go through, it still can't change who you are naturally… At the end of the day, you're all just a bunch of prankster kids."

----------------------------------------End Flashback----------------------------------------

Midori chuckled into a smirk and took her leave. Though Chie and Aoi got something from it too, that comment had a hidden meaning for the four ex-HiMEs. All of who smiled at the woman's back as she left.

_For once I'm actually glad that crazy sentai woman showed up…_ thought Natsuki while staring lovingly at Shizuru who too seemed lost in thought. _Maybe with that in mind she can start to relax about it all…_

The older girl was smiling too at the truth in the teacher's statement. As if on the same wavelength she thought, _I suppose she's right… we can finally start to be normal again…_

Shizuru's serious train of thought was cut short by a certain instinctual radar-like signal that told her there was teasing to be done. She looked to the side to see Natsuki's loving gaze and returned it with her own. While keeping that perfect smile intact, she managed to remind the blunette of something.

"So, is wet see-through clothing as suitable on me as it is on you Natsuki?"

With that the younger girl's face filled with so much blood it caused her to fall over and slam her head into the floor while desperately trying to cover herself with something.

Mai was laughing at this along with everyone but went to the closet to pull out enough towels for everyone.

----------------------------------------

After wrapping the linen around themselves to dry the six girls deiced to help clean up together. They had called a truce after Midori's words of wisdom and took as much fabric as possible and spread it across the living room floor to soak up the water before it sank through to the room below.

As for the furniture, the only things that needed drying were the chair and sofa, which would end up taking at least a day.

----------------------------------------

While their clothes were continuing to dry beneath the towels, the group sat around in a circle on a rather thick blanket in the middle of the room… ironically eating a pizza they had ordered.

After many rounds of Janken and Natsuki losing it was decided that she would be the one to get the door and hopefully get out of paying most of it through looks alone. Not that wanted to cheat… It's just that their money had gotten wet in the process of the fighting so all they had were coins.

"Damn why do I always get stuck with that kinda stuff?" grumbled the blunette while biting into another piece.

"Ara! Because Natsuki does such a fine job at looking good and being flirtatious."

"That, and you really suck at Janken…" added Mai.

The girl just snorted and continued eating.

"So… why did you call me anyways?"

Mai and Chie both choked on their pizza simultaneously. The former spoke first.

"Well… I started talking about relationships and then about what makes one dominant and one not because Chie claimed that it's usually the boy and I agreed. But then Aoi asked about their relationship and since they're both girls who was dominant."

"After thinking about it we concluded that it was me, because I tend to be more boyish," the gray-haired girl continued, "Which led to the debate of you two. Aoi made a direct correlation between masculinity and dominance and said that Natsuki would be dominant."

Said girl simply frowned.

"But then I told her that I don't think it's always the case so we made a bet… And well… You know the rest…"

"I could be dominant whenever I want to!" shouted the cute little puppy whose expression merely proved her wrong.

"I beg to differ." Replied the calm Kyoto-ben.

"What are you saying? Half of that conversation I was on top of you remember?"

"…Because I shifted positions."

"See Natsuki?" chided Mai.

"Okay so that was ONE time… I just need the opportunity to present itself first!"

And so an opportunity did present itself. Shizuru had cast aside the towel covering her still damp clothing and pinned Natsuki to the floor. However, giving the girl a chance she moved her hands from her shoulders. On the other end of things the blunette was too stunned at first, but still tried to weakly prove her point. All she could end up mustering was a leg rub, and Shizuru grabbing hold of her thigh and pulling her closer countered even that.

With a glint in those crimson eyes, the older girl leaned down and pecked Natsuki on the nose before getting off and wrapping herself again.

Mai cleared her throat.

"Anyways! We also wanted to check up on you two. We figured if we called at a random time we could see a "day in the life" sorta thing."

Shizuru clasped her hands together and beamed. Natsuki simply stared at her in horror at what she could see playing out.

"I know! Why don't you stay with us for a night?"

"WHAT!"

"Aww… But Natsuki… They have no suitable living room furniture."

"Yeah Natsuki! We're DEPRRIIIIVVEEEDD!!" whined Mikoto

"Like hell! You don't even need living room furniture; just go sleep in your beds."

"But we ALSO want to see what your daily life is like. Come on, it'll be like old times when we had a slumber party!"

The whole group then shot the blunette puppy eyes at once.

_Holy crap! Puppy overload!_

"Alright fine! But only one night and you all sleep in the living room and make me breakfast in bed."

"Done!" said Mai as she and Natsuki shook on the deal.

_Heehee… This will be an interesting evening indeed…_

----------------------------------------

**First Omake**

Natsuki: …Didn't you say somewhere that you'd try to not pick on me as much to make up for all time times it happens?

Notori: I did… though it may have only been in my head… I can't remember.

Natsuki: Your memory sucks -.-'…

Notori: I know, but anyway you're just more fun to play with.

Natsuki: …

Shizuru: I'm not fun to play with? You're mean to me too Notori…

Notori: I didn't mean that! I just have a harder time making fun of you. Readers get mad at me if I make you do foolish things because it's considered out of your character.

Shizuru: …Well… It IS out my character… are you calling me stupid?

Notori: WHAT! No! Please don't kill me…

Natsuki: Aaaaand they forgot about me again… righto…


	7. Slumber Party O' Doom!

A/N: _What? Chapter 6? Wasn't it supposed to be 11 or something?_ Why yes, yes it was. Although during my clean up I decided to morph chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 into the prologue, and then 5 and 6 into what's now considered chapter 1. I just went through it and changed a few things to make it so it flowed better. The only "plot" change is that Suroshen (aka the annoying kid) doesn't exist and I just cut him out because he never showed up again and was a really poor plot device that I didn't like.

This being said, I will not be ending this first arc so soon (I was planning on it for this chapter) but instead continue the random pre-graduation-year fun for a few more chapters.

Last thing, there were so many possibilities with this chapter that I couldn't decide, part of what took me so long to update. This chapter may be lame but... oh well... It had to be done to advance the plot.

**Thanks to ****Nathan5th, chum-sa, rainee-chan, Aesyl, lindred, and everyone else who read! -Hands out yummies-**

**Chapter 6: "Slumber Party… o' Doom!"**

"I still don't like the idea of this," groaned Natsuki as she tossed her keys on the desk by her door.

She led the way into her small apartment followed by Shizuru then the four guests.

"Really… if this idea started with not having any furniture why are they here?" she pointed at Chie and Aoi before turning to Mai, "Come to think of it why don't all of you just stay in their room for the night?"

"We are going to be staying in their room tonight."

"Yeah, and for tonight our room shall be here!" announced Chie as she set up her video camera on a tripod.

Natsuki was left standing in the hallway, eye twitching, as her not-so-welcome guests walked right past her and dumped their bags in a pile on the living room floor. She didn't know how long she was left staring off blankly, but when the blunette turned around everyone was sitting around her coffee table drinking tea with Shizuru.

Natsuki stomped over to the table and hovered over Shizuru for a moment, who all the while was exchanging pleasantries with the other girls.

"You! Room! Now!"

Red eyes looked over at the clock on the wall.

"So early? Well if you insist!"

Natsuki had no time to escape being tackled to the floor by the older girl's pounce. The other four only flinched and stared, watching their friend try to claw her way out from underneath her girlfriend.

"Mai! Help!"

"Hmm… Is someone calling me?"

"What?!" she continued to grip the floor, now being dragged into her bedroom.

The door slammed shut leaving the guests to giggle to themselves outside and Natsuki to escape Shizuru's grasp inside. Although it wasn't so much of an escape as it was the other girl letting her go. The blunette huffed and got to her feet, dusting away debris and marching over to the bed to fall back on it.

"Bubble… so… violated…"

"So why am I in here?"

Natsuki smirked and pulled on Shizuru's wrist, bringing her down on the bed beside her.

"Because you're special. You get a hug-right and they don't."

"Well I hope I get more than a hug-right," she chuckled as she kissed the blunette lightly.

Natsuki nodded, "You do."

Pulling Natsuki closer by the waist, a playful smile rose to the surface of the older girl's face when she made herself more comfortable on the bed. The younger girl extended her arms over the other's shoulders and continued their kiss. Slowly but surely, Shizuru's hands began to wander up from Natsuki's waist beneath her shirt. Just as they reached the clasp on her bra the blunette smirked.

In a fluid roll Natsuki hopped off the bed, "Oh well back to entertaining our guests right?"

Shizuru was left blushing and twitching.

_I completely fell for it!_

Meanwhile Natsuki was grinning proudly as she left the room and went back to her friends.

"Wow Natsuki you seem to be in a much better mood," said Mai as she watched her friend practically skip over to them.

"Yeah, what did Shizuru-san do to you in there?" chimed Chie with a wink.

Mai jumped to cover Mikoto's ears.

"Oh no not what she did to me," the girl stated proudly, "It's what I did to her!"

It was then that the chestnut-haired girl slowly emerged from the room, looming like a shadow over the gloater. She put on the best smile she could, which incidentally turned out both obviously fake and psychotic, and grit her teeth.

"Natsuki… Ikezu…"

Gulp.

**8**** PM**

Natsuki had miraculously survived Shizuru's wrath after her little stunt. Though probably only due to the fact that the latter had been distracted by being a hostess and eventually got over her irritation.

The sun had set now, leaving the six girls to contemplate what they would do for the rest of their sleep over. All were dressed in their sleepwear and sat in various places of the living room.

"Hmm... how about poker?" asked the navy-haired girl.

"Strip poker?" questioned Shizuru.

"...No... Just regular poker..."

"Oh... then no."

"How about monopoly? That always goes on longer than we want so we won't be bored for the rest of the night."

Silence from the room.

"...Strip mono-?"

"NO!"

"Aww..."

"Hang on a minute," after disappearing for a minute Natsuki sat down with a set of rotisserie sticks in her hand, "Since I've already established that the odds of all of us agreeing on something are way too slim to waste time on deciding, I figured we could draw straws to see who gets to do it first, does that sounds fair? Shortest goes first."

The room looked around at each other and agreed. All at once they reached into the selection and pulled out a stick.

"Yes! I got the shortest one!" exclaimed the blunette.

"And mine's the only one not cut so I guess I'm last," said Shizuru.

Natsuki turned her head to the side, blushing slightly, "...Wanna trade?"

"It's alright. I'm not entirely sure what I want to do for the moment so I'm fine with it."

"Okay so..."

"We're having a video game tournament aren't we?" sighed Mai, earning a grin from the girl.

The group rolled their eyes as Natsuki quickly headed over to the PS2 and put in a disk then pulled out the multitap.

"Tekken Tag Tournament! You four decide who wants to challenge us first, beat me once and we'll say it's over," she said wrapping an arm around Shizuru's shoulders with a toothy smile.

It didn't take long to decide that Chie and Mai would be the first team, and the four got set up with their characters.

As predicted, no matter who chose what, Natsuki's team won... or more precisely Natsuki won, Shizuru had yet to be tagged in the now thirty or so rounds they had fought. She sat behind the girl, enveloping her with limbs and placed her chin atop her head. Luckily, as long as the blunette kept up her winning streak she wouldn't consider this a distraction.

Several button-mashing minutes later, the four "challengers" huddled into a corner.

"All we need to do is beat her once, then we can stop," said Mai.

"But how?"

The girl sat back in thought for a second then leaned in and whispered the plan.

"...That's a dirty trick... I like it!" Chie grinned.

They turned around to get back to the game, only to be stunned in place by Natsuki doing a seated victory dance with Shizuru just swaying along anyway not letting go for a second.

"We're ready, right guys?"

They nodded, and the fight begun. By the time Mai's character was about half done, Mikoto had snuck into Natsuki's room.

"Oh no I think I broke it!" exclaimed the girl from the room after making a distinct bra-snapping noise.

"WHAT!?"

Abandoning her game instinctively, Natsuki ran into her room to make sure her recently-built-up-completely collection was unharmed. This of course left her character open to all of Mai's attacks, easily flooring him.

Then out of nowhere a second character appeared on the screen. Shizuru blinked at it, then at the controller, then over at Natsuki who could only be seen for split seconds chasing Mikoto around her room.

"What do I hit with?"

"THE SHAPES!" she yelled.

With two buttons being hit at once, a flame shot out of the monster's mouth, knocking Mai's character back to the other side of the screen and completely depleting his hit points.

"Damn it!" she cursed as Chie's character came onto the screen, only to meet the same fate.

"NUOOO!!"

"Yay! Natsuki I won!"

By now the whole bra fiasco had been dealt with and the navy-haired girl rushed out of her room.

"Really!?" she smiled and hugged the older girl before kissing her cheek.

"Good thing we beat _you_ though Natsuki, we can finally do something where the odds are at least slightly in our favour..."

"And what would that be? Who's next?"

"Found it!" called Mikoto, who was still in the room for a bit. She hopped out into the living room carrying a dusty box that was covered in bright coloured dots. Natsuki groaned.

"Twister? Are you serious?... And I still have that?"

The girl grinned and had already taken to moving the furniture out of the way.

"I guess I don't get a say in this... despite the fact that it's my game and my apartment..." Natsuki sighed, "Alright, as long as I get to spin first."

"Fair enough."

**9 PM**

After nearly everyone had gotten a chance to spin, it had come to Chie's turn. She stared down at the board with a smirk and got her camera ready.

_I plan on getting some good material from this night... this is just the time..._

At first it started off pretty normal, just a few feet tangled, but of course things grew into more... elaborate positions; mostly due to the spinner's outright cheating.

"Mikoto! Move over!" shouted Natsuki.

"I can't! Mai's taking up that spot!"

"Left hand: red!"

"Oh hell no!" before the redhead could reach, Natsuki managed to get her hand on the dot.

With Mai now eliminated, and Aoi having been on the side from the start filming the round, the only three left were Shizuru, Natsuki, and Mikoto... The latter two so glared at each other with determination while the former miraculously stayed balanced on one hand and one leg parallel to Natsuki who was more crouched.

Chie spun again, and then looked over at the mat. Smirking, she gently pushed the arrow just a tad further clockwise and called out the next combination.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Natsuki groaned as she tried to move, flipping her free leg onto the proper dot.

On the unfortunate side of things, Mikoto's leg had taken up the spot where she was going to put extend her arm for balance.

On the fortunate side, just as the blunette was about to fall, she felt a hand on her back that held her up. Natsuki was face to face with Shizuru who was very much enjoying the compromising position they were in.

"H-how did you get there!?"

"What do you mean?"

"With the way things were called out how come I'm the only one face up?"

"Because you didn't think of crossing your legs," said Mai as if to state the obvious, "Instead you turned upside down."

_Damn it..._

Natsuki sighed and relaxed her muscles, "Alright I'm tired I forfeit."

Of course, with Shizuru's hand on her back, when the younger girl fell she brought the other down with her.

"Aww! Natsuki made me lose too!" she pouted, fake crying onto the blunette's chest.

"Sorry but..."

"But what? You better have a good reason!"

Blushing, Natsuki leaned her head up to whisper in Shizuru's ear, "My knees got weak with you over me like that okay! Don't you dare say anything!"

"Yay I won!" exclaimed the nekogirl as she jumped up from the mat.

Mai looked at the scoreboard, "So that means we've all won once... except Natsuki... and Mikoto won twice."

"Just help me clean up will you?"

"Hai hai..."

**11 PM**

"Please can this be something quiet... who's going next?" Natsuki asked.

"That would be me," announced Chie, "And of course, since the whole purpose of us being here was to find out information, what better a game to play than Truth or Dare?"

Natsuki sighed, "Alright fine... at least it's quiet... But it has to count for both of you."

She pointed to the nearby brunette.

"Got it."

"Mai... hungry..." whined the youngest girl while pulling on her "owner's" shirt.

"Didn't we buy like... five bags of party mix on the way over here?"

Mikoto shook her head.

"All gone!"

The group sighed.

"Argh but I don't wanna get changed," groaned the blunette.

"Come on Natsuki it's only like five minutes away we can just go in these."

"...Are you serious?"

Once again the group looked around at each other for approval before going to get their shoes; leaving their unfortunate host sitting on the floor stunned before shaking her head and heading out after them.

On the way to the store the six walked in pairs to accommodate the size of the sidewalk. Of course leading the way was Mikoto dragging Mai by the arm; followed by Chie and Aoi who kept turning back and forth to film. Shizuru and Natsuki were last for no particular reason other than the latter's extreme paranoia about people staring at them in their pyjamas on the street making her stop every few steps to look around.

"So what are you thinking of our adventure so far?" asked Chie while walking backwards and looking at the view panel of the camera.

The only response she got was an icy glare.

"Look!" she started again in a Discovery-channel voice, "The natural defence mechanism of the very rare-OW!"

"Shut up will you?" grumbled Natsuki as she shoved the camera into the girl's face and walked past her into an unexpected empty space, "Hey, where'd Mai and Mikoto go?"

"Ara... Are they those tiny specs in the distance?"

The other three squinted and sure enough, through a small dust cloud, they could see them entering the store.

"Well come on let's hurry, I wanna get back before anymore eyes follow me."

"You know you could have stayed back and just let us go right?"

An illusionary brick fell on Natsuki's head at the realization that true enough, no one had forced her to come.

Two blocks later they entered the store. It didn't take long for them to find who they were looking for; all they had to do was follow the trail of empty shelves. When they finally got to the cash it was taking a while to actually process the purchase but Natsuki didn't really care as long as she didn't pay for it.

"Hey Natsuki can I borrow five hundred yen I'm a little short."

"Argh! Here!" she handed over the money with a grouchy expression; though something had broken her train of thought.

The group stared as a girl who looked exactly like Natsuki come running into the store, seemingly crying and mumbling something about "stupid depressing anime." Before any of the dumbstruck teens could say anything she went through the second cash and paid for her enormous amount of Kleenex.

"There's... There's two of them!" exclaimed Shizuru with hearts in her eyes as she watched the figure run out of the store.

"Stop being silly, we just happen to look a lot alike..."

"True," she wrapped the shorter girl in her arms, beginning to sway back and forth with a grin, "There's only one Natsuki and she's aaaaaaaalllllll mine!"

"Yes yes I'm yours, but can you let go of my head please?"

As soon as Mai and Mikoto grabbed their bags, the six left for the apartment again.

Eventually when everyone was back and settled again, it had gotten to the point where a tiny bit of sleepiness was floating around the room.

"Natsuki do you mind if we unfold the couch so we can just fall asleep if need be?" asked Mai, though she didn't care too much for an answer since she was already started to pull it open.

The navy-haired girl just sat and blinked.

"My couch unfolds?"

"Yes, that's why I told you to buy it remember? So that you could fall asleep on an actual bed while playing video games..."

_Not really..._

She just sighed and went to help open the couch.

"This will count as my thing for the night, making sure we're prepared... it would drive me crazy if wondering where we'd sleep."

"And I think I'll use mine to make tea," said Shizuru with a quiet yawn as she walked into the kitchen.

"Are you sure that's what you wanna use your things on when you had to do the other stuff?" Natsuki asked as she followed her girlfriend into the kitchen.

"Don't worry, I've already had a lot of fun tonight," she smiled.

"Me too... I..."

"Hmm?"

"I missed seeing that side of you... the one that would only show itself to me... the normal one."

Silence covered them for a moment as they stared into each other's eyes, smiling. Suddenly Natsuki found herself pulled into a firm but gentle embrace; indicating a soft seriousness.

"... I've thrown away my mask."

The blunette flinched.

"... I have no need for it anymore... It was made to hinder my love for you... but... I will never wear it again... I promise..."

Natsuki smiled again and returned the hold.

"Good..." she pulled away and headed back into the living room, turning again briefly, "You're like a light; it can't shine if there's something covering it. That just makes no sense!"

_Natsuki..._

With everyone refreshed and back in a circle, it was finally time to start truth or dare.

"Well since this is my apartment I think I should be the one to go first."

"Aww man... you already got a chance to go first..." grumbled the four guests.

"Alright fine, since this is also her apartment now, Shizuru you go first."

"Okay," without a second thought, "Natsuki!"

_Damn it..._

"Truth."

"Don't you always pick dare?" asked Mai with a light chuckle.

"You honestly think I'm gonna let her dare me to do something?"

"Will you marry me?" asked the chestnut-haired girl with a completely straight face.

The blunette turned bright red, so much so that she was giving off some sort of radioactive glow. She choked on her drink, swayed around dizzily for a moment before falling over.

"...It was a joke Natsuki," the oldest girl said trying to hold back a laugh, though pretty much failing; along with the rest of their friends.

Still spiral-eyed, the blunette managed to sit up and focus on the world around her.

"I can only wonder what you would have done if I said I was serious," Shizuru said still smiling, "Anyways, that reaction was all I wanted, your turn."

"Oh Shizuru..." she called in a singsong voice.

"Natsuki you can't go after the same person who just asked you..."

"Damn it! Fine, I guess I'll go after... the cat."

"Dare!" shouted Mikoto.

"Simple enough, I dare you to be quiet for the rest of the night and fall asleep within the next hour."

"But!" yawn, "I'm not sleepy!" the girl rubbed her eyes.

"Yes you are," said Mai in a motherly tone as she picked up the girl and placed her on the couch, "She did you a favour by letting you get out of the game before it got too intense- eh?"

"What?"

"She's already asleep haha!"

"Wait... if she's asleep then whose turn is it?"

"I guess we just keep going in a circle, so that means... Aww damn it's Chie..."

"Yes! Don't worry Natsuki, as long as you choose the right option you'll be fine."

"Argh... I guess I'll go with dare..."

"Alright I dare you to say that you'll worship Shizuru-san forever,"

"...That's it?"

"...While sitting in the corner of the room rocking back and forth and fidgeting like a maniac."

The dare-ee stared at her in exasperation, then sighed and crawled a few feet over to the corner where she sat with her legs curled to her chest. The girls all had their fun laughing at the blunette jitter around mumbling semi-coherent phrases about Shizuru being queen of the universe and she would do what she said no matter what.

When she got back to the circle Natsuki was already bent on getting revenge on Chie, however, since she could not get her directly, she went for her partner in various journalism related crimes.

"Okay Aoi, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to turn off the camera."

"Chicken."

"What?"

"I'm using one of my three chickens to get out of that dare. The whole point of this was to see what your life was like, what's wrong with recording it?"

"It's what you get for coming up with such dumb dares Natsuki... they're all practical and just to kill the party," added Mai.

Natsuki flinched.

_...Stupid chickens... Oh damn it! I could have used a chicken for my last dare!_

"Whatever just go..."

"Alright then," the brunette cleared her throat and eyed Shizuru, "What'll it be."

"Hmm... I suppose I'll take truth," she replied after a brief moment in her thinking pose.

"Okay, what would you have done if Natsuki accepted your fake proposal?"

"Well I would have been very happy of course," she smiled, "Although I would have to tell her it was a joke."

"You wouldn't want to just go with it?" asked the blunette with a suspicious face.

"To be honest, as much as I do love you, I still think we're too young to be getting married."

"Right."

"And don't you think it would be better to wait until we even have enough money to pay for the wedding?"

Natsuki sighed and slumped into a ball on the floor while the rest laughed.

_True... I wouldn't want to jump into something like that without being fully prepared... Once we both get settled into actual careers and not just waitressing._

Close to two more hours passed until not one person was alert enough to continue playing.

"Bed... now..." mumbled Shizuru as she fell onto Natsuki's lap, using it as a pillow.

"I can't carry you to bed if you lay on me."

"Yes you can," she whined, already half asleep, "You can do anything, carrying me to the bed shouldn't be hard."

The blunette looked up to see the other four sliding under the covers.

"Good night you guys," she said, slowly getting up while scooping the older girl up in her arms.

"Good night," they all replied.

Natsuki walked around the mess in her living room and entered her own room. She gently slid Shizuru beneath the blanket and over onto what was now deemed "her side" of the bed. After turning off the light, Natsuki cuddled up to Shizuru's side. Despite how tired she was she couldn't help but take a few minutes just to watch the other's breathing. The girl smiled and took hold of a section of her love's hair in one hand; and held her own in the other. Natsuki mindlessly began to braid the tresses together; the rhythmic pattern slowly calming her into slumber.

Rays of sunlight radiated an angelic glow upon the girl's faces. Crimson eyes slowly fluttered open to gaze on a lightning snoring Natsuki who lay beside her. Smiling, Shizuru leaned on her forearm to sit up, but was stopped when her head felt some resistance. She looked down to see the craft made with their two colours. With her heart melting a little inside, the older girl bent down to kiss the younger on the forehead before quietly slipping herself out of the bed in silence.

Shizuru was surprised to see that the kitchen was already in use by a certain redhead juggling five meals at once.

"Let me help you," she said almost on reflex as she went for the stove while Mai was working at the counter.

"Ah thank you. I haven't cooked for this many people in years."

"Me too," she stopped to chuckle a bit, "And their taste is incredibly different from Natsuki's. Sometimes I'm not even sure what to make for her."

"That girl's easy to please when it comes to food. As long as she has some meat in the morning, she'll have a good appetite for vegetables later on."

"Is that so? ...You know her very well."

Catching the sad undertone in Shizuru's voice, Mai quickly turned to the next plate of food she was preparing.

"Don't worry. I'm sure all in all you know her better than I do... and even if by chance you're missing details, wasn't it learning about her that caused you to fall in love? You'll just get to go through that process again."

"True, I would love to learn all about her again," she laughed, "Now I'm half hoping there _are_ things I'm missing."

On cue, a half-sleeping Mikoto held between the other two guests walked into the kitchen; simultaneously greeting the two cooking and sat at the table.

"Ohayo..."

"Ohayo!" chimed Mai as she set down the three plates before turning back to get her own but stopped for a moment to watch the giddy ex-Kaichou.

Shizuru was grinning happily as she went around to the different bowls of food and prepared Natsuki's breakfast, remembering to add the meat. Without another word she practically skipped off to the room, earning some raised eyebrows.

"What's with her?" asked Chie as Mai sat down.

"Hmm... Removing of layers..."

"What? That's what they're doing in there while we're out here?"

"No! I mean metaphorically... It still hasn't been that long they've been together since being completely separated... So as a way of starting new she's being quite open and honest," the redhead smirked, "Natsuki too don't you think?"

The other three nodded and went back to eating their breakfasts.

In Natsuki's room, Shizuru came in with a plate full of the various things she had cooked with Mai. She sat on the floor next to where the blunette's head was leaning off the edge of the bed. She picked up a small piece of meat between chopsticks and held it in front of the sleeping girl's nose in an attempt to wake her.

Though still asleep, Natsuki instinctively bit onto the morsel and ate it. Her nose wrinkled a bit and her brows furrowed.

"Mm! More!" she grumbled.

Shizuru blinked for a moment, then laughed, and then repeated the feeding process. Just as she got to the last piece of meat, Natsuki woke up. Her eyes crossed when she noticed the two pieces of wood in her mouth before refocusing on the girl sitting in front of her.

"Good morning Natsuki!"

"Ah... good morning," she mumbled as she sat up rubbing her eyes; Natsuki was always a little lost in the mornings.

She looked around the room, her gaze stopping at the group of four in the doorway with the video camera.

"What's going on?"

"Ara, I think they just thought you eating in your sleep was too cute not to tape, right?"

The navy-haired girl blushed like mad and threw the blanket over herself as to not be seen. However, in her hiding she heard the muffled laughs of everyone dear to her. Even though she was hesitant at first, this night had started a new phase of her life. And the person she wanted by her wide the most, needed her as well.

**Omake**

Notori: I'm worried the OOC is too much...

Natsuki: You're always so insecure with this fic... You even editted this omake so that you wouldn't sound so arrogant... Or whatever you thought you were being.

Notori: I know... I should just let it flow how it is...

Natsuki: Yes, anyways, next point: what the frak took you so long?

Notori: Well I went through about 500 different possibilities for this... most of which would change the rating to M... which I didn't want to do.

Shizuru: ...Yet.

Notori: Yes... yet...

Natsuki: You're making this more... intense?

Notori: Well not now, we still have your birthday and stuff... it will probably happen when you start school again, aka the next arc. This one is mainly focusing on the "starting over" aspect, hence the random party to make you seem more normal.

Shizuru: You don't enjoy me being the personification of pwnage?

Notori: Of course I do, that's why I started The Wolf Knight; but in this I want to see what would happen if now that the HiME stuff is over you could live normally. Plus I wanted to challenge the "fan canons" about you and explore different habits, likes, and dislikes.

Natsuki: So... careers?

Notori: Stop getting so ahead of yourself! All I'm saying is no one's ever done them as of writing this.


	8. Surprises

A/N: ...Damn I was gonna say something but I forgot...

**Thank you to elfspirit7, Nathan5th, lindred, chum-sa, ShizuruKuga, and everyone else who read -gives generic happy item lol-**

**Chapter 7: "Surprises"**

It had been a typical day at Linden Baum. The dinner time rush had just ended and now the group of waitresses were busy cleaning up the tables and getting ready for closing. Natsuki groaned and took off her uniform which covered her normal attire. She hung it up in the closet and turned around to see a happily grinning Shizuru skip up to her holding a stack of old napkins.

"Natsuki! Look how many random strangers' phone numbers I got!"

A sweat drop fell behind the younger girl as her eyebrow twitched.

"...That's not always a good thing..."

_Besides... I only got two..._

"Don't worry," she snaked her arms around the girl, "I won't go running around with other people."

Natsuki only sighed, though with a hint of relief, and walked back out into the eating space to sit down in a booth. Shizuru sat down facing her, and just as they were about to kiss an overly-loud redhead popped up from the seat behind them.

"So what are you kids gonna do when school starts? You'll still work here right? I'll have to be teaching the whole time so you can't leave the other two on their own."

The two girls looked up, a little disgruntled but dealt with it.

"Actually I have to concentrate fully on school since I'm, you know, going now... so I might not have time."

"Ah yes... and university has a higher workload than I anticipated..."

Midori slumped down for a moment before spinning around the edge of the booth and sitting in the couple's.

"Aww man... that means we'll have to find new people..."

"Come to think of it... Now that Takumi has had his operation... why does Mai still work here? Akane too," Natsuki lowered her voice, "Can't we just continue to take advantage of Mashiro's bank account? Her "will" said as long as we were a part of the school in some way we would get the rest of her money."

Midori leaned back and thought for a moment.

"I guess you could but those two know it eventually will run out so they need experience. Plus... do you really wanna be dependent on her?"

Natsuki looked away.

"True... I don't really want to... but I don't think I'll have a choice, at least for now. I just wanna finish high school with good grades to make up for before."

The other two nodded; proud that Natsuki was finally_ able_ to take care of her studies.

"Plus I want to run for president," she added nonchalantly.

Midori almost choked on her drink while Shizuru actually blushed on a level comparable to the blunette.

"...What?" she asked as if she honestly didn't know why these two were so shocked.

The "adult" had finally gotten herself together and managed a suggestive face for Natsuki.

"Ooh? And what made you wanna do that?"

Now it was her turn to blush and look away shyly.

"Well aside from _that_ reason... I also thought it would be something good to do. Good to add on a resume..."

Shizuru, having recovered from her little attack, smiled brightly at the girl.

"I think it's a good decision. There really are a lot of benefits that come from it."

"Are you going to try for it too?"

"Now that I think about it... I actually don't have a school to go to."

A brick fell on Natsuki's head.

"What do you mean?!"

"Well I didn't go to Fuuka University, so I'm not registered there yet," she said with a sheepish grin while Natsuki smacked her forehead, "Although, since the scholarship covers university as well I should be able to get a spot easily enough. For now the start of school means something more important."

"What?"

"Natsuki's birthday!"

The girl flinched. Oh how she hated her birthdays.

"Birthday!?" shouted Mai, appearing from nowhere.

"Party!?" shouted Midori having just woken up... apparently.

_No one said party..._

Natsuki groaned and stood up.

"Let's go home... The mention of my birthday made me wanna go lie down and take a looooonnnggg nap."

--0--

"In all seriousness," Shizuru started while lying on the sofa with Natsuki on top of her, "What would you like for your birthday?"

The younger girl only cuddled up closer.

"This," she replied, "This nice peace and quiet with you where we just lie down for hours."

_Such a romantic at heart..._

"...A billion yen would be good too."

_Well... not a hundred-percent romantic..._

"But that's the kind of thing Natsuki wants every year."

"Yeah, and I've never actually gotten it... It's always been something..." she went through her mind trying to think of something to do that she would enjoy other than this, "Maybe a small trip would be nice though..."

The room was silent for a few minutes before something clicked in Shizuru's head.

"How about we take the weekend to go up to my parents' house since they're still away? We can have the place to ourselves and be away from everyone who wants things to be too festive for you."

Natsuki lifted neck up, eyes widening as she pondered the idea.

"I thought you wanted me to have a party?"

"I just want you to be happy, and a getaway together wouldn't be so bad would it?"

The girl put her head down again.

"It would be wonderful. Would you mind if we took my bike there? It's been forever since I went for a long ride..."

"That's fine."

"We can't carry much though... and you would need a helmet."

"I think I have enough money to get one finally, and I don't think we need much. I still have clothing there and we aren't staying long so if you can fit whatever you need into a backpack I can carry it."

The blunette smiled brightly, it was the first time she was ever excited about her birthday.

"It's settled then!"

--That Weekend--

"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Natsuki called as she packed the last few things into a bag.

"Yes I'm ready," the other girl responded as she came out of their room, dressed and ready to go.

"Sounds good," she locked the door behind them and took Shizuru's hand, "Now let's get out of here before Mai shows up!"

The two eagerly went down to the front of the building where the younger girl practically embraced her Ducati. She hopped on quickly and patted the seat behind her. It was a good thing Shizuru had put on her helmet first because the second she got on, Natsuki sped off into the road.

--0--

Only twenty minutes later did Mai and everyone else _she_ had invited showed up at the empty apartment. Taking advantage of the keys she copied – also her own idea – she let herself in and looked around.

"Wow... it appears she actually did run away like she always threatened to... oh well... Let's raid her fridge since I'm not paying for it anymore!" she said with an overly excited grin while racing Mikoto to the kitchen.

--0--

Natsuki quickly made it to the highway, sighing in relief that she was now allowed to go at her speed. The road was no busier since it was the weekend which led to the pair having a relaxing ride. Shizuru held tightly onto the body of the other girl, wishing that she could hear her heartbeat through her helmet. She shook herself out of her thoughts.

_If that happened I might fall asleep... and that wouldn't be good... Not when she insists going so fast. Though I must admit I do enjoy it._

They stayed like this for a good three hours until passing a "Welcome to Kyoto" sign.

"Is this the right exit?" Natsuki called to the one behind her. Shizuru nodded into her back and flowed with the turns.

"Yes, we should be there soon."

"Do you want to go eat first?" the girl asked as they pulled off the highway.

"Sure, there's a good place just up this road."

Of course for Natsuki, what was "just up the road" was reached in a minute and the two got off the motorcycle in front of the restaurant. They both took a relaxing stretch after having been in a single position for so long and put the helmets on the bike before walking inside. It wasn't too fancy of a place but it was still enough to be considered a "real" restaurant; Shizuru really did hate fast food after all, much to the blunette's dismay.

They sat down and looked over the menu while waiting for the waiter to come over. Unfortunately he was one of those really over the top waiters which insisted on telling the specials and prices of everything before you got to say what you want... and specifically unfortunate for Natsuki, he happened to have a particularly heavy accent.

After he had finally finished the girl just blinked at him dumbstruck and looked hesitantly over at Shizuru who only sighed.

"We'll have two of this, thank you."

The man nodded and went to get the order.

"Really Natsuki," she knocked her lightly on the head, "It _is_ still Japanese..."

"Yeah but... It's complicated, and he was talking really fast!"

The older girl sighed again and they waited for their food to come.

--0--

After eating a small lunch they were back on the road again. Natsuki finally had to slow down to the legal speed limit to be able to navigate through the streets while Shizuru gave the directions. After about the tenth time the one driving had missed a turn, they pulled over at a convenience store.

"Natsuki do you just want me to buy a map and mark the roads for you?"

"I don't need a map!"

"But we're halfway across town... in the wrong direction..."

"It's because we got stuck on a one way stree- Hey where are you going?"

Waving dismissively at the girl Shizuru went into the store for a few minutes before coming out with a map and a highlighter. The blunette fumed while her girlfriend coloured a clear way of getting to her parents' house. Dropping her pride for the time being she looked it over and memorized the roads to get out of the city. It was a pretty straight run after a few turns so it wouldn't be too difficult. After stuffing the map into her back pocket the couple got back on the bike, made an illegal U-turn and rode in the now correct direction.

--0--

They were now driving uphill through a forest-like area. The trees that covered the wide blue sky and allowed for gentle glimmers of the sun to shine through to light the way.

"There it is!" exclaimed Shizuru while pointing ahead with one arm; the other still holding onto Natsuki.

The blunette looked ahead over the top of a hill to see a small cottage type house. She pulled up to the front slowly and stopped the bike in what appeared to be the driveway, though it was just a longer strip of gravel. Only after taking off her helmet did she realize how beautiful this place really was.

Natsuki stood there dumbstruck at the sight. There was something striking at every side it was almost too much. She looked ahead at first at the house; its charm radiated through paper walls and wooden beams. To her sides were what looked like expanses of trees, yet it contained a mysteriousness she would look forward to exploring over the time there. Then she turned around, and remembered that they _were _driving uphill for a long time. The peak of this hill was so high that it looked over the city.

"It's nice isn't it?" Shizuru asked as she walked up beside Natsuki, bringing her out of her reverie.

"Y-yeah," the girl raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said you being wealthy was a misconception?"

"It was. This house is actually quite old, it was probably expensive back when it was first bought, but that was a while ago. My parents just happened to be the next in line to inherit it."

_Come to think of it... She's never mentioned her parents before, I wonder..._

"Are you on good terms with each other?"

"Hmm? Oh yes we are," she waved in direction of the house, "But enough of that, let's get settled in."

With a nod, Natsuki followed her to the front door and stood idly by while Shizuru stared at the handle. After a few seconds, the older girl spun around with a sheepish grin and her "forgive me" face.

"...What?"

"I don't have keys."

"EH!?"

"Kannin na Natsuki, but we can still get in don't worry."

The blunette was palm-faced but raised an eyebrow nonetheless.

"How?"

"If we climb up the back, the window to my room has always been loose so we can open it."

"Alright," the girl nodded and lifted the bag of their belongings over her shoulder.

--0--

The pair hopped the fence into the backyard with ease and Shizuru went into the gardening shed to look for the ladder. Meanwhile Natsuki looked up at the awning.

_It's not that high..._

She turned around to make sure she wasn't being watched before putting on a mischievous grin and taking a running jump at the house. There was a slam and an "ugh" as Natsuki was now hanging off the side of the roof. She tried to lift herself up but ended up only flailing her legs around in the air. It wasn't so bad for now though... not until she started slipping of course.

_Ah crap!_

"Shizuru!" she called for help.

Hearing Natsuki's cry, the older girl ran out of the shed with the ladder and stood behind her.

"Why are you just standing there? I'm falling!"

Indeed Shizuru was standing there, giggling a bit to herself at the sight of Natsuki frantically trying to hold on. With a sigh she placed her hands on each side of the blunette's waist.

"Okay okay I'll help you down just let go," the girl complied and was carried down, "It was less than half a metre though..."

Natsuki blushed in embarrassment and pouted at her failed attempt at jumping onto the roof.

"I still could have hurt myself!"

"That's why I said to wait until I found this... Though I shouldn't have expected the notoriously impatient Natsuki to wait when your way was more thrilling."

Shizuru placed the tool against the side of the house and climbed up, followed by Natsuki. As they had hoped, the window was loose enough to open from the outside. The two easily slid inside and dusted themselves off.

"So is this where we'll be sleeping?" asked Natsuki.

"If it's what you like," Shizuru pulled her in a hug from behind, "This is supposed to you be your relaxing birthday weekend so everything is up to you."

The girl grinned and let down the bag.

"Can we stay longer than the weekend?"

"Of course, like I said everything is up to you. But first I should give you a tour no?"

Natsuki smiled in response and followed Shizuru out of the room, turning her head in all sorts of directions to get a look around. It had actually been pretty close to what she expected from her imagination. The permanent parts like walls, floors, doorways and such were all traditionally designed and for the most part seemed to be the original materials. However inside the rooms things were equally as modern as her apartment. They walked down the stairs and stopped at the bottom while Shizuru looked around.

"It seems they've changed things since I was here last... Understandable though, it was about two years ago. Anyways, what would you like to do now?"

Natsuki leaned against the wall and absent-mindedly then walked around the living room before settling on the floor in front of the coffee table. She looked over at the clock on the wall before putting her head down on the surface to rest.

"Just give me a sec to take in the new setting, then could we take a walk?"

"Sure."

--0--

Natsuki walked a few feet ahead of Shizuru; moving at a faster pace through the area simply to give in to curiosity.

"You think there are wild animals out here?" she asked excitedly.

"Hmm... Maybe... I think once when I was younger and went farther than I was supposed to I saw one, but the city is still too close."

"Aww that's too bad... it would be awesome to see some for real," the blunette paused in her steps when she looked down to see the path she was walking on disappeared, "By the way I have no idea where I'm going so I really hope you do," she rubbed the back of her neck.

"I think this is the right way," muttered the older girl, slightly to herself while looking around.

"Right way to where?"

"Follow me," she took Natsuki's hand and stepped through the leaves.

After a few minutes of walking the sound of water running could be heard. Shizuru pushed aside a set of branches as if to open a gateway to another world. A river flowed in front of them through a set of many rocks, down over a waterfall and into a lake. The blunette looked over this, speechless.

"I knew it was somewhere in this direction... It's been a long time since I've seen this place I'm glad it didn't change," Shizuru stepped ahead and hopped onto one of the dry rocks in the river at the edge of the waterfall. It wasn't so much a "fall" as it was a short drop into calmer waters.

"How did you _ever_ find this?"

"I used to wander around here a lot if I was bored. Come sit," she moved over a bit and let Natsuki take a spot next to her.

She peered over the edge and then all around. It was a lot to take in but it was all worth it. Emerald eyes slowly shut as the girl took in a relaxing breath and let her hand drop into the water.

"It's warmer than I thought."

"Mm... too bad we didn't bring swimsuits with us... I should have thought of that before we left," an oblivious grin formed on Shizuru's face, "Well we can swim without those right Natsuki?"

The said girl blushed as she was jumped by the other who jokingly tried to remove her clothes.

"B-baka!" she shouted while on reflex pushing the older girl away and accidently into the water, "Oops..."

Natsuki overlooked the splash while Shizuru surfaced, clearly scorned... but not on an incurable level. She treaded over to where the younger girl was sitting and without hesitation leapt up, wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her down.

"Uwa!" she didn't even get in a second blink before falling into the lake.

The two floated underwater for a moment before rising to get air. Natsuki shook her head to try drying her hair and pouted.

"What was that for?"

"What? If I remember correctly you pushed me first."

"...But it's because you..."

"I...?"

"You started it! And that's that!" she took her natural crossed-arms, stiff body pout, forgetting that she was in water. The blunette sunk under again due to lack of movement before thrashing around from surprise.

Shizuru floated back a bit to avoid the splashing while laughing to herself. Though once Natsuki got a hold of herself she moved back and hugged the girl tightly with a bright smile.

"Really, you're so cute when you blush like that!"

Of course this made the girl blush even harder and try to swim away but to no avail. When she lengthened her body to move properly, Shizuru had jumped onto her back and continued to hold onto her shoulders.

"Are you going to ride me all the way back to the shore?"

"Mou... Not if you say it like that..." she let go and drifted back into the middle of the lake with a fake-pained expression.

"Oh come back here," coaxed the blunette as she turned and followed, "Actually... since it's my birthday I should be the one to get a ride back."

Shizuru smirked.

"I don't mind that," she said while pulling on Natsuki's legs to bring herself between them.

The mood had suddenly changed from mischievous to serious, and in all seriousness, the blunette didn't want to separate herself from the other girl; in fact she wanted to be as close as possible. She coiled her legs around Shizuru's waist, and her arms around her neck; leaning down to kiss her. It was happily returned while they gently moved through the water.

After a while Shizuru started to move her hands away from the girl's legs and up to her waist, but Natsuki misinterpreted this as ending things for the time being so she pulled herself closer.

"Don't go anywhere..." she muttered while resting her head on the girl's shoulder.

Red eyes stared down at the midnight tresses floating on the water's surface while a smile came with a hint of a laugh.

"I won't, I'm just moving a bit," she held onto the one clinging to her, "See? Not leaving."

"Promise?" Natsuki asked in a somewhat childish, hopeful tone.

"Yes, I promise."

_You know I don't make the same mistakes twice..._

--0--

Close to an hour or so later, the couple decided it was best to head back to the house to rest and clean properly after being in the lake for so long. After Shizuru had gone first and Natsuki had taken the time she needed to unpack her clothing, the former was in the kitchen making dinner while the blunette was showering.

_Ah damn it... I forgot my clothes upstairs... Whatever it's just us anyways._

Natsuki walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her beneath her arms, and one covering her hair. She looked back at her day and smiled. It had been exactly what she wanted. The girl continued to pat the side of the towel on her head while crossing the living room to get to the stairs.

Just as she passed the genkan, the door began to open. Despite her attire - or lack thereof - Natsuki was about to start beating on the intruder but noticed an intriguing set of features he had: fluffy light brown hair and deep crimson eyes. The girl froze like a deer in headlights, half naked and staring at a man she safely assumed was Shizuru's father. The two blinked at each other in a brief but complete silence until a high pitched scream echoed through the entire forest.

--0--

**Omake**

Notori: Pfft... Pfft... -dies laughing-

Natsuki: Seriously... what happened to the "let's not be so mean to Natsuki" plan?

Notori: You might not be as screwed as you think... or you might be... I'm not sure.

Shizuru: On a separate note, where do I remember this house from?

Notori: Oh that? It's what's left of my memory of Shigure's house after reading Fruits Basket.

Shizuru: Right!

Notori: Anyways... I guess I'll get to the next chapter.

Natsuki: I'm not sure if I want you to...

Notori: -looks at outline- Well... there's almost as much fluff as there is you freaking out...

Natsuki: Fine... Wait... next chapter ends this arc!

Notori: That it does... Which reminds me... I need people to vote on what they want to be done with the next arc. 'Tis in my profile.

-No one does anything-

Natsuki: Come on!!

-Still no one moves-

Shizuru: ...Do it.

-Everyone runs-

Notori: Great... you scared them all away...

Shizuru: -glare-

Notori: -runs off to write-


	9. Unexpected

**Nathan5th:** Yup, it's her father :)

**chum-sa:** Ah yes, why she was away, really it would be about a year and eight months but anyways: the first year was her last year of high school, so she stayed in the dorms, and from her graduation for a year she was off in some unknown place living on her own because she was umm... Being angsty basically, she didn't really want to go home during that time.

**Thanks to Nathan5th, elfspirit7, lindred, chum-sa, and all the other great people who kept up with reading this. I present to you the end of this arc, but nowhere near the end of the fic itself!**

**Chapter 8: "Unexpected"**

Natsuki fell back on the floor as the man before her continued to scream his head off in a panic. She scrambled to her knees while managing to hold onto the towel but stared ahead in shock as he ran away yelling. The man then jumped behind a woman, who was behaving abnormally calm for the situation.

"Oh my God! Kaede-chan! There's a rapist in the house! What do we do!" he continued his frantic behaviour.

_...What?_ Was all Natuski could think.

The woman took a few steps forward and waved at the girl on the floor with a bright smile.

"Hello there! Are you lost?"

The man jumped up and shook his wife by the shoulders.

"Kaede-chan! What are you doing!? That's now how you get rid of a rapist! You have to hit him over the head with a shovel!"

"I'm a girl!" Natsuki yelled as she got to her feet, attempting to break up this fiasco.

Unfortunately it appeared to go unheard as her girlfriend's father continued running around the driveway in disarray while her mother stood there quietly, still waving for some reason.

_...Shizuru where the hell are you right now?!_

--Mini-flashback, a few minutes earlier--

While Natsuki was occupied in the shower, Shizuru was preparing dinner for both of them, humming peacefully as she took food from the pantry. She looked briefly at the clock and grinned.

_Natsuki should be finished soon, maybe if I bring her clothes to her some_ _"unfortunate"_ _incident could happen... _

Her mind started to wander.

_Yes... something involving after-shower Natsuki... steam making a constant blush... a dropped towel..._

It wandered further.

_With glasses... and puppy ears..._

Having been deeply enthralled by this fantasy, Shizuru was only knocked out of her reverie by Natsuki's exclamation of being a girl; though from that point onward she could hear the man's yelling. Eyes widening in surprise, she dashed out of the kitchen and towards the living room where she saw what she feared she heard.

Natsuki turned upon hearing the footsteps and hid behind the older girl due to her lack of clothing.

"Shizuru! What's going on?"

Said girl was frozen in place with her arms stretched wide in a protective manner.

"I'm sorry Natsuki; I was busy daydreaming about peeking at you in the shower."

The blunette blushed hard and held back from smacking her girlfriend over the head.

"Baka! Don't daydream about that! More importantly, please tell them who I am!"

Before she could, Shizuru's father came running back to the doorway, eyes streaming with panicked tears.

"NO! The rapist took Shi-chan hostage! What are we gonna do! What are we gonna do! Don't worry I'll save you!"

"Ne Hiro-chan, doesn't that person look too pretty to be a rapist?" she smiled, "Hello pretty rapist!"

The man turned back to his wife then back at the two girls. He paused to think about it, but as usual reached the wrong conclusion.

"No! Shi-chan's been tricked by the rapist's beauty and joined forces with her and now they've come to take over our house!"

"I'M NOT A RAPIST DAMN IT!" yelled Natsuki from behind her girlfriend's shoulder while pouting. _And why would a rapist want to take over a house?_

"Right," confirmed Shizuru as she took a few steps towards her parents and cleared her throat, "We're here on a small vacation because I thought you said you would be gone longer."

The man covered his face with his hands to feign hurt, quite similar to how the girl did.

"You didn't want to see us Shi-chan?"

She sighed while Natsuki watched silently.

_So that's where she gets it... _

"It's not that I didn't want to see you," Shizuru said softly as she hugged her father, noticing him peek through his fingers, "It was just unexpected and possibly the worst timed moment for you to show up."

The blunette nodded.

_Yes... and I'm still in a towel..._

"Um..." she started with raising her hand, but was cut off.

"So she's with you?" the man's watery rusty eyes looked into his daughter's.

"Yes," she took an authoritative position, "Now apologize to her for causing such a scene while I go make sure mother doesn't get lost," she looked over her father's shoulder at the older brunette who started to wander away while following a butterfly.

The man nodded at the request and walked up to Natsuki before taking the most formal bow on his knees. The girl blinked.

_What in the..._

"Kannin na! I am Fujino Hiroshi. I did not mean to scare you, Shi-chan's guest."

The blunette was shocked by his behaviour. This man was such an extremist. If anything she thought she should be the one to bow for having intruded, albeit accidently, on this man's home.

"It's uhh... It's alright and I'm Natsuki. Kuga Natsuki. Umm do you mind if I get chan-"

"Please use our home as you wish Kuga-sama!"

"Err... Just Natsuki is fine... but really, I'm still not dres-"

"Please call me Hiro-chan then! It is only fair if you wish to be called Natsuki!"

"Father... you're overdoing it again," came Shizuru's saviour-like voice to Natsuki's ears as she led her mother into the house, "Natsuki, this is my mother. Mother, this is Natsuki, I wrote about her remember?"

"Ah yes!" the cheery woman replied as she walked up to the still towel-clad girl and bowed, though not nearly as much as her husband had done, "Call me Kaede-chan."

Natsuki bowed as well, ending the whole ordeal with an awkward silence as the four looked around, realizing that there was still something off.

"...Can I put clothes on now?"

"Yes good idea Natsuki let's go upstairs while they bring in their luggage."

--0--

Shizuru faced away from Natsuki while she changed.

"I'm so sorry... I honestly didn't know they would be coming back so soon... and that certainly isn't how I wanted you to meet them," her voice filled with worry, worry that Natsuki would be angry with her, "I promised you something calm and then-"

She was cut off by a pair of arms wrapping around her.

"Hey it's okay. I'm not mad at you at all," Natsuki turned the other girl around to face her, "Yes I was surprised of course... and didn't really want to meet your parents while not fully dressed, but no one's at fault here."

"But I-"

"No buts!" she bent up and kissed her quickly on the nose, "I don't want to leave because of this either. Now come on, let's eat."

The younger girl reluctantly pulled away and headed for the door.

"Natsuki..."

--0--

Natsuki sat at the table across from Shizuru's mother while the other two were preparing dinner. The silence was broken when the woman spoke, though it was safe to say it had indeed made the situation even more awkward.

"I'm sorry, but who are you again?"

The blunette blinked.

"Err... I'm Natsuki."

"You're cute!"

"U-uh... Thanks?" she stuttered out while blushing.

"Mother, please don't tease Natsuki," Shizuru placed two plates of food in front of them while her father did the same on the other side of the table.

"I wasn't teasing her, just complimenting."

Natsuki nudged the girl in the shoulder.

"Jealous someone other than you would be teasing me?"

"Of course not," Shizuru replied calmly as she took a bite of the food, "Unless you happen to take _that_ kind of an interest in my mother I wouldn't be jealous."

The girl blushed again, accidently biting down too hard on her chopsticks from the words, "Ow!"

"Careful," she whispered.

"So you two wanted to have a little getaway before school started again and wanted to come here?" Hiroshi asked.

"Yes. We spend so much time in the city I suggested coming here before we ran out of time."

"Ah well that's nice of you," her mother replied, "You two can stay as long as you like. It's been such a long time since we've seen you."

Shizuru stared down.

"Yes... I'm sorry... Things at school got very busy."

Natsuki looked over with a worried expression. It looked as though the other girl was on the edge of some deep abyss. She wouldn't let her break.

"Right! Shizuru graduated at the top of her class! Of course she was busy!" the blunette cheered with a smile, wrapping an arm around her neck.

"Really! That's great Shi-chan!" Hiroshi and Kaede chimed in unison.

The girl's rusty eyes glistened upon hearing her parents' reaction and her expression turned around completely into happiness. She was very thankful Natsuki stepped in when she did.

--0--

After a light hearted rest of the meal, in which Natsuki and Hiroshi managed to relax in their respective ways, and Kaede happened to stay focused long enough to make conversation, the two girls prepared themselves for the night.

"Something about your genes," mused the younger girl as she walked ahead into the dark bedroom, remembering how uncharacteristic it was of her to open up to Shizuru when they had met, "Things went along better than I thought they would- Eh?"

The door shut and she felt a thump against her back. Turning, she saw Shizuru's head leaning tiredly against it. Natsuki turned to face her and pet the side of her hair, a solemn smile forming on her face.

"... They don't know do they?"

The head shook no slowly.

"Thank you... for saving me..."

"I'll always save you," she whispered, but when her fingers felt Shizuru's body begin to tremble, Natsuki pulled her closer before lowering them to sit on the floor, "Hey... It's okay... It's over now, remember that."

"I know," the girl replied as if there was a stone in her throat, "But I can never forget it."

"None of us can forget," the blunette paused for a moment, debating if what she was about to say was right or not, "...I wouldn't want to either."

Crimson pools of tears looked up into emerald ones.

"Why? Don't you wish it could all disappear?"

Natsuki shook her head.

"Something so beautiful bloomed from it... I only have one regret from then," she looked down with a smile, "You know what it is?"

Shizuru looked into her eyes helplessly. Helpless as to figure out what this girl meant.

_One regret? Only one regret? How can she make that kind of face when talking about the Festival?_

Before she knew it, Natsuki wrapped her arms around the shaking body and lifted her into an embrace, whispering into Shizuru's ear.

"That it took us to die for me to realize how much I loved you... Makes me feel so stupid," scarlet eyes flickered open in surprise, remaining that way while her lips were captured.

Slowly, Shizuru melted into the hold and closed her eyes; slowing the tears to a stop. Upon breaking away for breath, Natsuki kept her same happy expression, using her thumb to wipe dry her love's moistened cheeks. With their bodies pressed so close, the younger girl began to sense the slowing heart beats of the other in her own chest.

"Good, you've calmed down," the blunette used the wrap she hand to pull them both down on the futon, "Feeling better now?"

"Thank you Natsuki," she reached up to gently play with a lock of navy hair, "Really, I do feel much better."

The blunette grinned with pride over her accomplishment; only for a second before she was distracted. Shizuru had leant her head up and kissed beneath the girl's chin then down to her neck.

"You seem more affectionate than usual... not that I mind."

"It still is Natsuki's birthday after all."

Said girl smirked and leaned her head back, exposing more soft skin. Crimson eyes seemed to glow with a hint of lustful intent as Shizuru bared her fangs and took a light bite, eliciting a gasp from the girl entwined with her. When Natsuki's inhale reached its peak she held it tightly for a brief moment before letting the air escape in a shiver.

_What is this? I can't stop... can't stop wanting..._

She gripped tighter.

_No... not wanting... needing..._

The older girl had kept one hand on the side of Natsuki's face, but due to the unexpectedly good reaction she was receiving, it slid down to the collar of her robe. It hovered for a moment, massaging the blunette's shoulder, her wrist slowly pushing the fabric aside.

Emerald eyes shot open. Keeping them closed was too hard to control with such a flood of emotions filling her. Natsuki's head swayed around as if in a drunken haze softly against her pillow as she was moved further onto her back by way of Shizuru pushing lightly against the joint in her hold.

Fortunately, the girl's "reason", or rather insecurity had floated away, and she slid her arm up and out of the robe's sleeve; quickly bringing her hand into the sandy tresses of the other's head while using her abdominal muscles to raise her torso slightly. Gently, Natsuki pressed against the back of Shizuru's neck, causing her to turn upwards on reflex. When their eyes met the blunette was shocked into place by the sheer amount of love radiating from those scarlet pools.

Without further hesitation, Natsuki leaned up drastically fast, cupped Shizuru's face with both hands and kissed her so passionately she sword she would have fainted... that is, if it weren't for the amount of life being brought _in_ through the touch as opposed to being drained.

The blunette carefully pulled them back down, breaking away only to catch a breath.

"I love you so much," Natsuki whispered at the top of her lungs.

"No more than I love you," came the hoarse reply, as if Shizuru had barely managed to fit the phrase in prior to her loss of breath... or maybe it only seemed that way having been followed by a gasp before taking control of the girl's lips again.

Just then, a stream of light shone across the floor, growing with the milliseconds as the door opened.

The couple froze in place upon hearing the clack of wood hitting wood. Of course what else would follow after a father catching his child in the act but a screech of panicked terror? Natsuki sat up swiftly; though at least she was careful enough not to hurt Shizuru in the process.

"We weren't doing anything!" she shouted with the worst blush she ever had... as if it were convincing with red marks all over her.

Her denial was cut short when the man's scream stopped and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Holy crap! Is he okay!?" Natsuki held her head while turning from the fallen body to Shizuru and back.

"It's fine," said the latter as she stood and fixed her robe, "He tends to faint if he gets too surprised, but it's nothing serious. Just wait for me a moment while I bring him back to his room," she lifted the man with an arm across her shoulders and brought him away.

Natsuki was left alone with her thoughts for a moment. It was as if she blacked out and was sprung awake again.

_...And it was just getting good too..._

A heat rose to her cheeks.

_Bah! What am I thinking? Baka-hentai!_

She tried to shake her head clear but to no avail. It didn't help that when she leaned her head down to rest she caught sight of her arm and open chest. The girl's shyness hit her like a tremendous wave, and she swiftly placed her clothing back on, even tighter than before then fell onto the futon. She pulled the blanket up to cover her entire head and took a deep breath; her eyes refused to open.

_I don't think I ever knew how much this and that could drain you... No! I have to stay awake! Shizuru will come back soon! And then... then..._

And a soft snore filled the silence. Shizuru stepped back inside lightly, closing the door behind her, and took her place next to the blunette again. She gently pulled back the covers from the girl's head so she wouldn't become overheated; smiling at her love's sleeping face. Her slender fingers moved aside some strands of midnight hair from Natsuki's forehead, creating a space for one last kiss of the night.

--0--

The next morning was covered in an uncomfortable silence as the four ate breakfast. Shizuru was drinking her tea in an attempt to make things appear normal, Natsuki was ruining that effort by fidgeting uncontrollably, Hiroshi eyed them suspiciously... and Kaede was oblivious as usual. Placing her now empty cup back on to the table, Shizuru cleared her throat.

"To be fair, I _did_ tell you about Natsuki in the letters, and said I would only bring her here if she accepted my feelings."

"Oh! You're _that_ Natsuki!" the girl's mother spoke as if it was all fitting together now, and not yesterday.

"Yes..."

"The one that you would talk about for pages and pages and draw little sketches of and write your initials inside hearts and-"

"That's enough mother!" both girls were blushing furiously as what appeared to be the body of Shizuru's letters home had really been about was revealed.

"So..." Hiroshi tapped his fingers on the table while observing Natsuki, "What do you..."

_Oh no... the "what do you want with her?" interrogation._

"...See in her?" he finished.

The girl blinked.

"What?"

"What do you see in her?" he tried to be serious but his natural expression made it difficult, "If you see true things in her and that's what you love, then you'll be suitable."

"Uhh... I see..." she looked down and smiled, "I see someone perfect by virtue of her imperfections... Someone who can give me a reason to wake up to life... no... She is the reason I wake up."

Shizuru stared, mouth slightly agape as Natsuki spoke so fluidly.

"A girl whose outer radiance is only outmatched by her heart's... A girl willing to give up her own life for mine," she chuckled a bit and looked up with a toothy smile, "So I have to protect her! Since I can't live without her... and because most of all, I see something that I used to have no hope in become what I treasure the most... I see a future."

The man's eyes started to swell with tears and quickly turned into all out bawling as he jumped across the table to embrace the blunette in a fierce hug.

"Beautifully said Natsuki-chan!"

The girl was thrown to the floor, eyes wide and staring at the ceiling while patting his back slowly in embarrassment.

Without a word Hiroshi was pulled off of the girl by Shizuru who eagerly took his place. They remained holding onto each other, but moved into a more comfortable sitting position. Their usual way where the older girl's limbs would envelop the younger and she'd place her chin atop her head.

Hiroshi dried his eyes and cleared his throat, thought still sniffling a bit.

"Natsuki-chan is perfect!"

Said girl was never good at handling compliments, and had taken to keeping her face red and hanging onto the arms around her.

"I think so too!" Shizuru replied, happy as could be.

The two parents smiled at the pair before them that could be so easily lost in each other.

--0--

The remaining two days of the weekend passed by rather quickly. With the relationship out in the open, it left for a lot more relaxation on the girls' part. It was now time for them to begin the trek back to Fuuka; it was a week before school started and they needed to make sure everything was in order.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Hiroshi asked in his overprotective manner as he watched the pair mounted the Ducati.

"Yes father we'll be fine. Natsuki's driven me places many times before."

"Okay then, if you're certain. Come back again sometime!" the two stood at the edge of the porch and waved.

"Definitely!" Natsuki called out with a smile before putting on her helmet. She had really warmed up quickly, getting used to the quirks of her girlfriend's parents. A part of her was a little relieved to see how close Shizuru was with them.

_Learning about such an important part of her... That's the best birthday gift ever._

After a few final farewells, the girl revved her engine and took off down the pathway into the city.

--0--

The ride home was a lot faster than the one heading there. The two girls arrived back at Natsuki's apartment just before the sun set, both sighing in relief at being home. Even if it was only a few days away, it was nice to sleep in their own bed again; which is exactly what the blunette intended to do.

She led the way up the stairs and fumbled through her pockets for her keys.

"That really was fun!"

"I'm glad you thought so, though you can see why I don't really talk about my parents often."

"Nah I wish you would have told me about them sooner, they're pretty awesome too," she paused at the door, "I mean sure they're umm... how to put it...?"

"Deranged?" she offered.

"Haha I suppose, but anyways it was a nice surprise."

"Natsuki?"

"Hmm?"

"What you said before," Shizuru stopped herself, noticing the warmth rising in her face, "Did you mean all of it?"

Natsuki turned and blinked at this before smiling and hugging the older girl tightly.

"Of course I did... I just spoke my mind and that's what came out so it's all true."

"I love you," Shizuru said as she smiled and kissed the top of the girl's head.

"I love you too," came the reply as the blunette unlocked the door and took a step into her dwelling, "What the hell?"

The girl scanned her living room to find none other than Mai and her invitees sprawled across the floor and furniture.

"Geez, it's what? Six in the afternoon and they're asleep."

"Ara Natsuki I think I found the source of the problem," Shizuru called from the kitchen, having stepped over the others.

Natsuki did the same and made her way into the kitchen next to the other girl. She stared mouth agape at the insane amount of alcohol bottles stacked around a passed out Midori and Youko. The blunette groaned as she grabbed each by their ankles and dragged them out into the hallway. Once the two adults were dealt with, somehow still asleep, she went for the teens.

Whatever they were doing must have been really draining since even they were sleeping through being thrown into a pile outside the door.

Natsuki dusted off her hands and took a moment to admire her work.

"Really Natsuki... shouldn't we wake them up?"

The girl stood and contemplated this for a moment, ran back into the kitchen to check her fridge, then went back to the door.

"Hmm... Nope!" with that she closed the door, sure to lock it behind her, and turned to Shizuru, "What I really want to do is have a nice homecoming dinner with you before going to bed early."

And of course she could never refuse such a wonderful offer.

--0--

**Omake**

Notori: -Yawn- And so the first arc is concluded... I stayed up late for you guys!

Natsuki: You stayed up late turning me into a sap!

Notori: Face it... people love you that way. And really if you weren't sappy what kind of fluff fic would this be?

Natsuki: -grumbles-

Shizuru: I like romantic Natsuki too!

Natsuki: ...Fine. I'll be romantic.

Mai: Umm... are we still in the hallway?

Notori: Yes... because I couldn't think of a good exit for you. My bad.

Shizuru: By the way, what's with my parents?

Notori: Well... Of all the fics I read they were either normal, or rather evil in trying to get you marry random people. So I decided to make them weird but in a good way, who would have thought you had a hyperactive paranoid father and airheaded mother?

Natsuki: Yeah you should have kept us there for another chapter.

Notori: I would have except the ideas I came up with could be used later on and I find they'll fit better when new plot thingies come up.

Shizuru: Plot thingies?

Notori: Yes... Now I shall take my leave to sleep. You guys will get a bit of a rest in this universe and I'll work on the other two if I'm not doing schoolwork. -waves-


	10. Back to School

A/N: Back to the HiME-verse! Wow... been a while since I've been here, good to be back though -nods- It's refreshing to finally write nice Reito for a change teehee. I think I've saved up enough ideas for this story to complete the second arc in about 8-10 chapters. This also may be the last one where they're teenagers-ish, maybe I'll do one more, it depends if I come up with enough material for more. Anywoot! Enjoy zee fluff!

**Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews!**

**Chapter 9: "Back to School"**

Natsuki lay stiff beneath her covers, holding the edge tightly over her head against the pull of the other girl.

"No! Bed time! No school!" she whined.

"Now now," Shizuru coaxed, "You surely don't want to start off the new year by skipping do you?"

"Yes I do!"

With a heavy sigh, Shizuru let go and took a step back. She folded her arms across her stomach as per her thinking habit. There were very few ways to get a reluctant Natsuki out of bed, and it was even harder when school was her "opponent" in the matter. However, luckily Shizuru was cunning enough to deal with the situation at hand skillfully. For the next few minutes she simply stood and waited for Natsuki to let her guard down. As soon as she saw those light green eyes peek out from beneath the blanket in inquiry the crimson eyed girl grinned and swiftly pulled off the distracting linen.

"Oi!" Natsuki exclaimed grumpily before turning onto her stomach and pulling the pillow over her head before groaning and sprawling her limbs across the bed.

Suddenly she felt the mattress bounce lightly as if someone else were to have sat down. A second after it stopped Natsuki felt a thin finger slide beneath the back of her pyjama shirt. She shivered as it traced up her spine and settle at the base of her neck in slow massaging motions.

"Please get up Natsuki."

"Mm... You know that it just makes it even harder to move when you make me more rela-AAA!"

Before she knew it, the arm at was under Natsuki's clothing lifted itself, pulling the top (and the girl for the matter) with it. In the blink of an eye the blunette's loose shirt had been removed and replaced with that of her beige school uniform. Although unfortunately Shizuru lacked the grip to get Natsuki's arms through the sleeves, and so the younger girl was now trapped with them at her sides by the fabric. She turned and gave the "offender to her sleep" a blank, annoyed stare, before falling like timber back onto the bed.

"Natsuki," Shizuru sighed, "Do you need me to do the bottom for you too?"

"Why are you being so mean to me!" she fake cried into the sheets.

"Because," she paused and looked up to the ceiling in thought.

_Wait... why am I doing this? I myself would much rather spend all day in bed with Natsuki... No! No! Plan backfiring!_

"Because education is important!" she replied loudly, as if she had to reassure herself it was the correct answer.

"Bleh!"

"But... I made you a special lunch and everything!" Shizuru's last resort: the tears.

Natsuki perked her head up and looked over her shoulder. She moved her gaze over to the clock to check the time and then back at the other girl.

_If I don't get up she'll be late because of me..._

Slowly the blunette rose up and flung her legs over the edge of the bed, yawning and blinking away her sleepiness. Still something was wrong, she made it this far up, but just as easily fell over onto Shizuru's shoulder.

"Need help..." she muttered while fiddling with her uniform to get her arms in the proper place and wrapping them around Shizuru's neck. Before she could even get one teasing comment in, Natsuki bent up, kissed her on the cheek and opened her puppy eyes, "Pleeeaassee!"

Startled, Shizuru opened her eyes in a series of fast blinks then gazed into emerald ones.

"If you insist, but I'm only carrying you to the bathroom so you can get washed up."

When the girl nodded in reply Shizuru turned and slid an arm beneath Natsuki's legs to lift her in her arms.

_Hmm... if this were to happen every day I don't think I'd mind her not being a morning person._

--0--

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" yelled a panicked Natsuki from the front of her motorcycle, "I didn't know we were so late!"

"Ara you can still slow down, I'd rather be alive than on time..."

With a sigh the blunette obeyed and brought her speed down to the legal limit... not that it stopped her from running the third red light that morning. After a hasty retreat from their apartment and fast ride through the residential streets, the couple finally made it to Fuuka University. Natsuki came to an abrupt stop directly in front of the doors, the screech causing an uproar from the other students (some of whom were almost run over). Natsuki looked around at the stares they were getting as Shizuru dismounted.

_Geez people it's just a bike not a limo... Why does it feel like we're being treated like movie stars?...Oh._

Of course a split second later the girl's question was answered when Shizuru removed her helmet, letting her fluffy chestnut locks fall over her shoulders. Natsuki's neck muscles seemed to melt and cause her head to sway back and forth in awe; though she was quickly broken out of her reverie by the shield of her helmet being lifted up.

"Don't I get a kiss goodbye?" came the voice muffled by the insulation.

Natsuki blushed beneath her helmet and lifted it up off her head for a moment. While the blunette was looking back and forth to make sure all those who were watching had gone about their daily business, Shizuru was growing tired of waiting. Just when Natsuki was arching up to kiss her cheek again her face was caught by the older girl's palms and her lips were fully captured in the moment. She loosened again, giving a happy sigh and smile when Shizuru broke away.

"Ahem... well... yes..." she stuttered while quickly placing her helmet back on to avoid being caught tomato faced. She reached into the small case on the back of the bike and quickly handed Shizuru a small box, "Alright, yes, uh! There'syourlunchgottagobye!"

And in a flash Shizuru was left waving at the fading dust cloud.

"You two are ten times more adorable together than you ever were before," a cheery male voice said from behind, catching the girl's attention.

Shizuru turned around and returned his smile.

"Why thank you Reito-san, and it is very good to see you again."

"Likewise, but there's no need for formalities, you and I are simply schoolmates and friends now."

The girl nodded in agreement. Not many knew, but before Natsuki appeared Shizuru's closest friend was Reito. When she first moved to the academy dorms he was the one who offered to show her around and get acquainted with the surroundings. From there they grew closer, into each others confidants; needless to say he was the only one to know about her feelings for Natsuki, and how much she wished for them to be returned.

"When is your next break?" he asked.

Shizuru mentally flipped through her schedule.

"Twelve-thirty."

"Good! Let's meet for lunch then, we have quite a bit of catching up to do," Reito said while leading the way in.

--0--

"Na-chan! Quit daydreaming!" the boisterous Midori yelled while whipping a broken chalk piece at the lump of blue hair resting on the girl's desk.

"Ow!" Natsuki exclaimed as she stormed up out of her seat, "And don't call me Na-chan in class! Make that EVER!"

"Detention!"

"What! Why!?"

"I need someone to help me make lesson plans... now sit down!"

The girl groaned as she fell back into her chair, trying to tune out the chorus of "Kuga got in trouble!"

_Stupid school..._

A paper floated onto her desk. With an inquisitive expression the girl carefully unfolded it and read the note from Mai:

_So... who're ya daydreaming about eh? _With a sketch of suggestive wiggling eyebrows off to the side.

In the instant a vein popped on Natsuki's forehead she turned bright red; almost red enough to contrast the white light of a flash being set off nearby in the room from a certain someone's camera. The girl sighed and grit her teeth, scribbling her response hard on the paper and tossing it back to the redhead:

_None of your business! Now go pester someone else!_

Mai frowned at first but was caught off guard by another chalk piece flying her way, though again aimed specifically for the girl next to her.

"Na-chan! No passing notes! Double detention!"

"What the hell is double detention!"

"I'll think of it later!"

"Argh..."

Again she shrunk further back into the chair and another note fell onto her desk:

_Could it possibly be whoever made you that lunch? I see you don't need me for that anymore heehee._

Natsuki straightened herself and looked down at the box wrapped in purple fabric sticking out of her schoolbag. She just waved dismissively back at Mai and went back to work.

_Purple? Ah! She probably did it so I'd think of her throughout the day, how silly, of course I'd be thinking of her!_

--0--

"Blue? I could have sworn I made mine purple..." Shizuru muttered allowed, sitting at a table across from Reito.

"Maybe you wrapped them in the wrong colours in your half sleep at five AM," he joked.

"Possibly... in any case Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu!"

While Reito took a bite of his sushi, Shizuru opened the box in what began as a carefree manner. However as the top came off the girl's face quickly greened at the sight. With a drooping head she sighed and placed it back on before looking apologetically at Reito.

"You have Kuga-san's dont you?"

"It seems so... which also means she has mine..." a troubled expression appeared on her face.

"What's the worse that could happen? The last I heard she still had a vegetable deficient diet so this could be good for her."

"Does that mean you're asking me to eat a meal made of _her_ favourites?"

Reito chuckled and smiled nervously.

"Eheh you're right, I guess that wouldn't be a good idea..."

Shizuru sat there disheartened for a moment before a thought came to her.

"If you don't mind, could we postpone our reunion? I think I shall make a personal delivery to my dear Natsuki."

"It's fine," Reito chuckled to himself, "It isn't as if I _could _possibly keep you from her if you wanted, right?"

"Very true," Shizuru bowed respectfully for having to leave mid-meal, "Kannin na, tomorrow will be much better for us."

With that she turned around and left the school to walk across the grounds of the university over to the academy next door. It wouldn't take very long, and a stroll through the forest would be refreshing.

--0--

_Hurry up! _Natsuki internally screamed at the clock on the wall. _I'm starving!_

Her icy glare of doom finally got to the device: it broke, and began ticking backwards causing the girl to ball a fist around her pencil so hard it snapped. It relieved her stress for a second before the lead dust stained her hand. Natsuki leered at her palm with such ferocity the redhead beside her found it necessary to slowly inch her seat away from the girl. Luckily, the class was saved from destruction when the bell finally rang. The blunette bolted out of her chair so fast it fell over. She'd fix that later though, right now all she did was grab Mai and run down to the cafeteria.

"Food!" she yelled with an expression that rivalled Mikoto's when on an empty stomach. Mai on the other hand was accustomed to such a situation and just went with it; grabbing the third girl by the collar of her shirt as they ran past her classroom.

Then, out of nowhere, a cheerful Kyoto-ben voice made it's way through the ears of all the students, in a tone teasingly reminiscent of a mother.

"Natsukiiiiii! You forgot your lunch!" Shizuru chimed.

Now, unfortunately for Mai and Mikoto, the older girl's sudden arrival caused Natsuki to stop in mid-dash and they crashed into her back. The blunette blinked at Shizuru, making sure what she saw was real. Though strangely enough, during the split second she had her eyes closed the girl was gone.

"Eh?" she muttered aloud before finally realizing the situation at hand. When Shizuru disappeared, a rather large crowd had taken her place in Natsuki's line of sight, meaning the girl she was looking for was most likely surrounded by said rabid groupies. With a sigh, she approached them and tried to weave her way through. Even the tough biker was having difficulties though, if she got in front of one person, another would end up shoving her out of the way. The girl grit her teeth and took a deep breath.

"Look! I'm hungry and pissed off! So get out of my way!" of course it fell onto deaf ears (probably due to high frequency squealing) which forced Natsuki to do things the hard way.

She cracked her knuckles and grinned, "Don't say I didn't warn you..."

Mai and her pet could only watch as their navy-haired friend began to fling fangirls one by one out of her path, clenching their eyes at the sound of each one hitting the floor behind them. Finally Natsuki made it to the center, heaving her breaths and holding tightly onto Shizuru's hand.

"Sorry Mai, I can't eat with you today!" the blunette yelled over the screaming while pulling her girlfriend and herself to safety. The redhead just gave a sheepish smile and waved at their fading silhouettes.

--0--

"They won't come in here," Natsuki assured, pulling Shizuru through a thin set of tall bushes.

"Why? Where is," the girl stopped at a loss for words, "...here?"

Natsuki took a moment to catch her breath before straightening her back and revealing the breathtaking view before them. The flower garden where they had first met was still flourishing with a bright pink hue. Surrounded by serenity, it was their own little piece of paradise. It was exactly the same as it was on that day, save for the new addition of extra foliage as if to fence it in. The blunette took a few steps forward, gently trailing her fingers along the soft petals on her way to the gazebo.

"Are you certain we're safe here?" Shizuru asked, following close behind.

"Yes, this little patch of land is private property, the students aren't allowed to enter."

"Private propety? Then how-"

"_I'm _the one who owns it," the blunette replied with a grin.

Again Shizuru stared awestruck at the girl and let her gaze fall around to their surroundings. After a few more steps she sat next to Natsuki in the gazebo.

"I know it was a little risky, but I spent most of my settlement money on this," Natsuki began to explain as she placed her bag at her side while still fidgeting with the strap, "And I know it sounds childish... but I didn't want anyone else to be here... I wanted it to remain my memory, or well... I wanted to walk into that memory whenever I could."

"I'm glad..."

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad that you've been taking care of the garden," Shizuru said softly with a genuine smile, though it was still strained, as if to hold back tears of happiness.

Natsuki returned the smile with some awkward embarrassment, she hadn't intended for her words to come out so seriously. That said she tried her best to liven the moment.

"Well of course I wanted to take care of it! It's where we met!," she reached into her bag and pulled out the small box, "Now let's eat!"

Shizuru nodded and happily extended her hands with the small blue box to Natsuki.

"This is what I came to give you, we accidentally got the wrong lunches. I don't think you would like the one you have now," she said with a small laugh.

Natsuki raised her eyebrow and opened the lid, her expression churning at the sight of vegetarian stir fry with wheat crackers. Then she turned her head to look up at the meal Shizuru was holding out to her. She took a second to take in the heavenly scent of meat before her earlier hunger got the better of her. With a big grin plastered across her face Natsuki eagerly took hold of her hamburger and bit into it with an expression resembling... lust? Whatever it was confused Shizuru to the core. Everyone knew though that a full Natsuki was a happy Natsuki, so she was caught too deeply in the girl's atmosphere to analyze too much.

The couple sat in the peaceful garden, each enjoying their meals but more so each other's company. It happened by chance, but in the second they both glanced around at the scenery, their eyes crossed paths. Neither said anything, lost in each other's stare. It wasn't a common occurrence this to happen without either planning it. A few seconds later, the stillness was broken by Natsuki when she bent forward onto her knees, took hold of Shizuru's hands and lightly kissed her forehead. She sat back down and smiled at the soft pink shade on the older girl's cheeks.

"Ara, well this was a lovely time Natsuki, but I'm afraid we both have to be heading back to school don't we?"

The blunette's expression immediately sunk.

"Please stay," she begged, "I..."

"Hmm?"

"I missed you today..." Natsuki said quietly, trying to hide her face.

"Missed me? We were only apart for a little less than four hours..."

"I know! But... I just got used to spending so much time with you that I- Aww never mind let's just go back."

The girl tried to stand up, but instead was wrapped up in Shizuru's arms and pulled down on top of her as they laid in the gazebo.

"I missed you too," she whispered.

"So... you'll stay?"

Natsuki felt the nod on the back of her head.

"I wouldn't want you to be sad because you missed me," there was a hint of teasing in her voice.

Natauki stiffened for a second, about to retort a frustrated slew of words but calmed just as quickly; it was true after all, she would miss her. With a sigh she rested her head back on Shizuru's chest and took her much desired mid-day nap. Shizuru too was tired from waking so early, so she pulled over her school bag and rested it beneath her head, soon falling into sleep as well.

--0--

In the start of afternoon classes, Mai was left sitting next to an empty desk. She sighed and rolled her eyes before turning around to the kitsune behind her.

"Hey, Chie-chan, can you do me a favour?"

"I'm listening?"

The redhead looked around for a moment before leaning in and whispering her request. Chie nodded seriously once before breaking out into a fit of giggles.

"I've taught you the uses of having information well. It will be done, just give me the number."

Mai scribbled it down on a piece of paper and handed it to the girl, just as Midori walked in. The woman instantly noted the empty space in the room.

"Oi, where'd Na-chan go?"

Just then the phone in her pocket jingled, alerting her to open it. When she did she was spammed with photos of her and Youko in compromising positions followed by a note warning her to let Natsuki off the hook "or else." With a nervous grin, Midori rubbed the back of her head and went to sit at her desk.

"Eheheh You know what it doesn't matter where she went. No problem right?"

--0--

Nearly two hours later, both girls awoke simultaneously. Natsuki rolled up to sit on her knees and rubbed her eyes in a childish manner while Shizuru let a pleasant yawn escape her. The school day was nearly over, and if they wanted to avoid the crowd they would have to leave now. The blunette stood up first and extended her arm to lift the other girl to her feet. Just as they were about to take their bag and leave, a forceful wind blew around them. The pair instinctively raised their arms to shield themselves, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid seeing the whirlwind of petals soar.

Natsuki gaped at the sight, the wind was staying strong enough to keep them all afloat for extended periods of time, while also moving enough to make them dance. She stared out at the pathway, her eyes flickering to the side when she saw Shizuru skip past her and stand in the fray. She stood still for a few seconds before turning and extending her hands to Natsuki, who eagerly ran up and clung to them.

Together they danced and spun through the blowing winds, getting caught in the torrent of pink. They laughed and smiled, as if nothing in the whole world could make either happier. Whether it was time flying by or simply a coincidence, the winds slowly began to die down. Shizuru giggled at the girl in front of her, with bright pink petals sticking out of her dark hair.

"You're covered in them," she jested while combing her fingers through to catch them all only to be taken aback when she felt the same motion on herself.

"So you are you," she replied, picking each petal out one by one.

Just then Natsuki felt a vibration in her skirt pocket. She took out her phone and opened it to read the text message:

_Don't worry about detention I took care of it XD. - Mai_

The girl smirked and put her phone back before taking Shizuru's hand in hers.

"Thanks for the great lunch," Natsuki said, leading her girlfriend over to her bike parked a the opposite edge of the garden.

"You're welcome, but from now on you'll only be getting it on special occasions. If you won't take care of your health I will."

The blunette merely sighed; she had a feeling this was coming. One day her beloved lifestyle of instant meals would end, but she didn't mind if it was for this. If it meant spending the rest of her days with Shizuru, Natsuki would gladly give up her bad habits. They _were _bad habits after all, she'd have to get rid of them sometime sooner or later.

--0--

**Omake:**

Notori: I hath returneth!

Natsuki: Good! Now stick around would you!

Notori: I will, my plans for the arc are set... except for your career.

Shizuru: What about mine?

Notori: You're set, it's just Natsuki I'm having trouble with.

Natsuki: ...Why does she get a career and I don't? -whines-

Shizuru: We all know I'm her favourite.

Natsuki: What!? That's not fair!

Notori: Well...

Natsuki: I don't believe this!

Notori: I've narrowed it down to two things, both cool.

Natsuki: Can I at least get a hint?

Notori: Well... one involves you being able to do it in fifteen different positions for eighty minutes straight...

Natsuki: O-O!

Shizuru: ...I like...

--0--

A/N: If anyone has any ideas on what they'd like to see Natsuki's career as let me know since I'm still quite undecided XP. No guarantees I'll take it but just so I know what kinda thing people want.


	11. Cycle: Future and Past

A/N: Be warned! Remember, Nao is mean and resentful in this fic. Same with Haruka and Yukino (but not as bad as Nao). A tad of angst but well... it all works out, and you've all probably gotten used to the bits of drama/angst in this fic by now. Next one should be more on the fluff since I tend to alternate.

Technical Note: At the moment there is no chapter 10. When I get the chance I'm going to re-upload the previous chapters and label the prologue as 1 and move it from there so it's not as confusing.

**kikyo4ever:** Yup! Updates should be coming faster now!

**koalarap:**Ooo! Lingerie designer that's a good one!

**Thanks to Kugerfan18, kikyo4ever, pri815, koalarap, my heart is an icebox, reviewerskye, nolens volens, chum-sa, and everyone else who read!**

--0--

**Chapter 11: "Cycle: Future and Past"**

"Graah!!" Natsuki roared throughout the small apartment, tossing yet another balled up paper across the room. Shizuru merely leaned to the side as it flew by and took a sip of her tea. She continued to watch the blunette fume for another minute before sitting down next to her.

"Need some help?" she asked rhetorically, it was quite obvious Natsuki was having difficulties.

The younger girl just sat there and sighed, falling over onto her girlfriend's lap. It was nearly three in the morning and she had still not even started her election speech for tomorrow. To be fair, she had tried to start, but could not get past the opening statements before becoming too frustrated and giving up. Shizuru pet the side of her head with her hand that was still warm from the tea. She forced herself to stay up with Natsuki to be of any help to her during the night, even if it was something as simple as making sure she ate properly.

"...Maybe I should just drop out of it... Clearly I'm not suited for it if I can't even write one speech..."

"Now that's not true Natsuki, you've stayed up this late trying to make it perfect. That shows dedication and striving for the best you can be, both are necessary qualities."

Natsuki sighed, it was true, but she was at the peak of her pessimism right now. Not only did she lack the alert mind to even stay awake much longer, but was starting to focus on all the things against her right now. Most importantly, her competition. There were three others trying to get the prestigious position. One boy and one girl whom she'd only met in passing, both of which had a fair chance, but also were not one of the two favourites. One favourite being the ever popular ice princess, and the other was the intelligent Yukino. Despite only being "discovered" by the student population after announcing she'd be running for president, she had already gained the respect of many. She was also known for running the Executive Committee but since she was not as "extravagant" as Haruka it hadn't been too much of a burden.

"Really... she's so much better for it than me..." Natsuki muttered to herself, though Shizuru heard as well and knew who she was speaking of.

"Do you really think I'd let you put this much effort into this if I didn't think you had a real chance of making it?"

Natsuki sighed.

"Not intentionally, but you're a tad biased in don't you think?" she chuckled as she sat back up, rubbing her eyes and focusing on a new blank sheet of paper. She felt arms snake around her waist as Shizuru drew herself closer, resting her head on Natsuki's shoulder and looking at the paper as well.

"It isn't because I love you that I think you'll win, but that many of the traits you have that made me love you also make you suitable for it."

Natsuki smiled, that was what she needed. A new confidence boost to get her through the night got her starting on her newest draft. She managed to lean over the coffee table and write while still giving Shizuru room to hold her; which also benefited the quality of her speech.

With a confident grin, Natsuki held up the paper and read over her opening paragraph. After reading through it, the girls nodded to each other and the blunette continued on. She wrote for a little while longer before slowly drifting her gaze from side to side.

"Natsuki?"

"Just... five minutes..." she yawned before falling onto the arm of the couch.

Shizuru smiled proudly her tenacity to get so far.

_It must really mean a lot to you... to push yourself this hard._

She moved away and draped a light blanket over Natsuki's shoulders then picked up the papers on the coffee table. As much as she wanted to, Shizuru knew better than to write the speech for Natsuki. The ice princess would be quite upset and take it as a sign of weakness if it was done for her. The girl was so used to doing things for herself, she hated letting anyone do things for her. The only person capable of doing such things was Mai with her cleaning of Natsuki's apartment; and only because Mai's resolve to take care of someone was stronger than Natsuki's to be self-sufficient.

Shizuru chuckled a bit as she proofread it, that was harmless enough, and something she was sure the others would be doing as well. The language was as she expected. Aside from the opening paragraph which was tailored to be perfect, the rest was blunt and choppy; or better said: short and sweet. The tawny-haired girl shuffled into their room for a moment before bringing her laptop out to the living room. She climbed back onto the sofa with her feet tucked beneath her and the device rested on the side of her bent legs and the arm of the couch.

While Natsuki napped, Shizuru went though the speech; typing it up nicely as well as fixing up the diction. It was now close to four in the morning and the sky outside the living room window was starting to get light tint of blue. The typed version of the speech was done and saved before Shizuru placed it back on the table and admired the work. She found it funny that Natsuki asked only for five more minutes. The poor girl must have been too tired to even realize she finished the whole thing before passing out.

Speaking of passing out, the second Shizuru leaned back into the furniture her own lack of sleep caught up with her. Quickly, her eyes shut and she fell onto Natsuki, who was so deeply asleep she didn't even notice. Unfortunately neither had set an alarm.

--0--

Mai paced around the grounds where the election was being held. One of the fields had been lined with plain folding chairs in front of a stage where the candidates were gathering. The redhead grit her teeth and looked at the clock on her phone. There was still time for Natsuki to arrive and not be late, oh how she hoped for her to be at least on time.

"Mai! Where's Natsuki-baka?" Mikoto asked, popping up out of nowhere with a chocolate covered banana in hand.

"No word yet, if she's not here soon I'll call her, there's still ti-"

"Would all candidates please take their seats on stage," Fumi's voice came over the PA system.

The two girls' expressions whitened almost immediately. In an instant Mai already had her phone to her ear while pointing Mikoto in Midori's direction. The young girl knew what to do and rushed over to the teacher. She had to stall the event.

"Hey Miko-chin where'd you get that chocolate covered banana?"

And her train of thought was, shall we say, derailed. As those two were having a rather unstressed conversation about where the food stands were placed, Mai was frantically growing more and more annoyed with the ringing on the phone.

--0--

_What's that buzzing noise? Meh... too sleepy to care..._

It continued, much to the sleepy girl's dismay.

_Seriously... I can't stand it... Oh it's my phone... whatever it is it can wait... Argh! It's not stopping..._

Natsuki tried to shut her eyes tighter but the sound of her cell phone vibrating on her desk in her bedroom was enough to wake her.

"It's bright... Why am I sleeping on the couch?" she paused for a moment as her vision cleared and she saw the scattered papers everywhere. Her breath got stuck in her throat and she blinked into reality.

"Oh my God! Shizuru get up!" she screamed, startling the older girl awake before falling further onto the couch since what used to be Natsuki became empty space.

It took her a moment to regain her bearings, but when she got them Shizuru was nearly as panicked as the blunette.

"I'm so sorry Natsuki! It's my fault I didn't wake you up!"

The younger girl was already in her room throwing on her uniform and reaching for the phone but managed to call back to her girlfriend.

"Don't worry about an apology, just help me write the speech while we rush!" her attention was caught elsewhere, "Hey Mai?" she was met with a scream, "Yes, I know I'm a moron!" more yelling on the other end of the line, "What!? No we were not having sex!" she held the phone between her ear and shoulder while rushing into the bathroom to brush her teeth, "What's the status?" she mumbled through the toothpaste.

While she took care of that Shizuru hooked her computer up to the printer in their room and dressed herself as the speech was put onto paper. It wasn't as formal as she had planned, but well... none of this so far was as formal as they had planned. Once her jeans and shirt were on she rushed into the kitchen, yelling to Natsuki along the way.

"Your speech is printing."

"Wha?" she mumbled with her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth when she jutted her head from the room. The blunette finished with haste and told Mai she would be there as soon as possible, they would have to find a way to stall them or at least not get herself disqualified.

Natsuki followed Shizuru into the kitchen and took over the toast cooking while the older girl took her turn to clean up. As soon as they popped up, Natsuki stuffed her face with the food and hurried to the foyer-like area to get into her shoes and strap her helmet on.

"What was that you said about my speech?" she asked Shizuru as she came out tossing her bag over her shoulder.

"It's printed."

"Printed?"

"Yeah," she quickly got it from the room and handed it to Natsuki while getting her own shoes on, "I did some editing on it, just read that and you'll do fine. You finished it last night."

The blunette smiled beneath her helmet and carefully stuck the papers into her inner jacket pocket.

"Thanks! Don't you need to eat?"

"I'll get something there, let's go!"

Natsuki barely had time to lock the door behind them with Shizuru pulling her down the stairs towards the outside. She didn't know when the latter became the more excited of them, but overall this day was so surprising she didn't pay much attention. The couple eagerly leaped onto the Ducati and sped off towards Fuuka Gakuen.

--0--

At the academy Mai finally made her way to Fumi herself since Mikoto and Midori had dropped out of sight. They discussed it briefly before coming to the compromise that Natsuki's speech would be held until the end of the others, but if she did not make it by then she would be disqualified. To a friend of the girl it sounded harsh in words, but in reality Mai knew she would make it. Natsuki hadn't racked up the record number of speeding tickets for nothing.

Still fidgeting, the redhead set out on her new quest: find the drunken teacher and nekogirl.

--0--

"Damn it!" Natsuki cursed as she inched her bike along slowly in the lunchtime traffic. She looked down at her watch and glared ahead, "Stay close. What I'm about to do is dangerous, but I can pull it off."

"You aren't going to-?"

Before Shizuru could even finish Natsuki revved her engine and started moving through the other cars along the lane division line. The two girls curled in to avoid being caught on the side of cars as they sped through. This way it wasn't long before they reached the turn off to get to the school. They could hear the applause of the crowd after the third person had finished speaking.

"Aww man this is gonna be close!" Natsuki called back as they drove up the front walkway of the academy.

Meanwhile the crowd sat in wait for the last girl to arrive. Just as Mai was about to give up hope, everyone turned in the direction of a rumbling noise. They watched the motorcycle screech to a halt at the side of the seating section where Shizuru dismounted and took the chair saved for her with the rest of Natsuki's friends. The blunette herself then drove a few metres ahead, stopping right next to the stairs that led to the stage. She heaved while removing her helmet and practically jumping all the stairs to get to the podium.

Her entrance had surely got a lot of attention. Everyone's eyes were glued to her as she took her place and unfolded the papers from her jacket pocket. Up until now Natsuki hadn't had the time to feel nervous, but suddenly it all hit her. So many people were in this school, everyone of them paying attention to her, waiting to hear what she had to say. The blunette started to stutter and fumble with her words but just as quickly her eyes found the ruby ones that calmed her. Seeing Shizuru watch her happily quelled Natsuki's inner chaos.

With a deep breath she stood confidently and spoke to the students.

--0--

_That went better than I thought... In fact... I think I did pretty well... _Natsuki thought to herself with a smile as Fumi led her and the other participants to their individual stations.

The student council election process was actually quite the event. The classes were cancelled so that the students could spend the day listening to the speeches, voting, and asking unique questions to each of the candidates. It also ensured that with staff counting the votes throughout the day, the results would be in after dinner time and announced soon afterwards.

Natsuki groaned at the fact that she'd have to spend the next few hours sitting by herself answering any inquiries. She was never good at that but would bear with it for a limited time if it meant being a step closer to her goal. The girl sat in the chair behind a desk and leaned back, resting her head in her hands and waited. It wasn't long before the lines started forming. Natsuki was actually surprised at how many genuine questions there were, considering she raced in on a motorcycle with the schools most beloved ex-Kaichou with her.

_Maybe they didn't see her... Shizuru can be discreet when she wants to..._

The navy-haired girl's mind started to wander. She wondered what Shizuru was doing right now. It wasn't as if she could waltz around on her own without getting mobbed, and there was still only so attached she could be to Mai and the other younger girls.

_I hope Reito came, he can keep her company, that would be nice..._

"Kuga?"

"Eh?" the girl was knocked out of her reverie by the boy in front of her, "Oh, hey Tate. Just pretend you're asking me a question if someone walks by, I need some normal conversation."

The boy laughed, "Haha fine, Tokiha just asked me to see how you were doing while she went to vote, she should stop by after she's done. With this crowd they won't notice she's already voted."

"Yeah, it sure is packed, and it's gonna stay like this until night."

"Yup."

"Hey! Hurry up!" an angry voice from behind yelled.

The caramel-haired boy turned and offered an apology to the student before looking back at Natsuki.

"Gomen! I guess I can't stay longer, see you around," he said while waving and walking away.

Natsuki waved back and went on to the next few students. Even though she tried to pay attention to their questions, her thoughts kept drifting to Shizuru. A few questions later, the blunette glanced to the side and saw the sandy-haired girl sitting on a bunch nearby, she was writing something. Natsuki smiled and continued to watch her contently. However her expression grew serious near instantly when she saw a streak of flaming red hair move towards her beloved.

_Damn her! _Natsuki cursed, glaring at Nao. She looked up at the current student and apologized for interrupting but there was something she needed to take care of. The student just stared dumbfounded at the "Back in 5 mins." sign placed on the desk and waited.

--0--

While still looking at her notebook, Shizuru gave a mirthless chuckle to the girl who approached her.

"Whatever could Yuuki-san have to say to me?"

"Can't even look at me can you?"

The crimson-eyed girl smirked and folded her book over before placing it in her bag and looking into lime green with a glimmer of ferocity.

"Better?" she asked rhetorically, "Now tell me, what do have to say?"

"Who cares!" Natsuki almost roared from the side as she ran forward, "Just get out of here Nao."

"Oooh Kuga yelled at me, I'm so scared," the redhead replied sarcastically, "I just wanted to congratulate her on how good her speech writing is. There's no way an idiot like you could have wrote something like that, it must be good to have someone like her on hand."

"Oh go to hell! Quit wasting our time. I get it, you don't like us, what more is there to do?"

"It isn't you I have the problem with really, only as much as I always did you know, after you tore out my eye. But it's still that one I hate with a passion."

Natsuki bared her teeth and clenched her fist.

"Watch it, anyone who's got a problem with Shizuru has a problem with me too."

"Oh you think you can get violent on me?" Nao pointed at the blunette's hands and smirked, she really didn't know her limits, "Think you're tough just because you're dating a murderer?"

Shizuru's eyes widened as a shiver ran through her spine. Natsuki on the other hand snapped in a different way. She ignored the rest of the world and grabbed hold of Nao's collar, then without hesitation she threw her punch clean across her face.

"She's not a murderer!"

"Ugh!" Nao groaned as she was forced to the ground from the hit.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru cried, but to deaf ears.

The jade-eyed girl was furious, even with the incoming stares from people around her. She took a few steps forward and looked down on the redhead coldly. The unfortunate turn of events soon got worse. Natsuki's judgement was clouded enough for her to forget that fighting back is just what she'd want, and that if she did the blame would shift to her for continuing the fight. Alas, she spoke anyway.

"You wanna play rough and bring up the past? You're so damn selfish."

"Shut the hell up you bitch!" Nao screamed as she rose to strike at Natsuki.

A verbal fight twisted into an all out brawl between the two enraged girls. Though it didn't last long before Shizuru managed to get a hold on Natsuki to keep her back while Mai and Mikoto appeared to grab Nao.

"Stop it both of you!" Midori yelled as she ran towards them through the crowd of surrounding students, "Seriously!"

Natsuki was still shaking in Shizuru's arms, leering at Nao who struggled against the other two.

"Alright alright!" she barked, shaking them off, "Whatever! You're all messed up! Acting like it never happened and you're all friends again! It makes me sick!"

The girls watched her go, making sure that she did in fact leave, and Natsuki loosened her tension, Shizuru let her go for a second before turning the blunette around and hugging her tightly.

"I am thankful that you would fight for my sake... but please Natsuki, don't be so brash in the future."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I just can't stand her and the way she treats you."

"Nao-chan still hasn't been able to adjust like we have," Midori interjected, "I'm not saying she was right, but I can see how she has her point of view."

"I know... and I guess I shouldn't have punched her but man... Why does she have to constantly bring it up?"

"Misery loves company basically... she's jealous that we moved on and she's still hurting..."

Natsuki scoffed. Even though she knew it was probably true, she couldn't excuse anyone who said such cold things about Shizuru so blatantly. A flash blinded her eyes. They were now surrounded by a very large growing crowd taking pictures. A fight between one of the more popular members of the student body and a would-be president on the day of the election was definitely something to see. Cameras were going off everywhere with people demanding answers.

"Allow me to explain?" Shizuru asked, causing the many groups to quiet down and listen.

The other four wondered how she would handle this, though something told them she had a plan to kill two birds with one stone.

"In truth, what happened is simple. Yuuki-san called me a murderer and Natsuki here acted in my defense."

Who would have thought that the truth could grant her wish? Not only was Natsuki completely forgiven by the students for her actions, she was actually praised for protecting Shizuru. The blunette was taken by surprise when the crowd ran off to the voting booths right away to show their support. Eventually everyone broke off again. Midori went back to "supervising," Mai and Mikoto went to take part in the festivities, Natsuki had to go back to her station and Shizuru continued her writing. Soon the "scuffle" between Natsuki and Nao was forgotten, even if her words still stung the hearts of the couple.

They dealt with it as they usually would whenever their distorted past came up, which seemed to be more and more often these days with everyone being in close quarters again. But the day was still long ahead of them, and no matter what was said, they all intended to enjoy it.

--0--

After a much needed meal with Shizuru and her friends, it was time for Natsuki to return to the stage. The totals had been reached, and the results were going to be revealed soon. Everyone took their seats and waited anxiously for Fumi to arrive with the envelope. The blunette fidgeted in her chair, trying to not to hyperventilate as the moment of truth drew closer and closer.

The pink-haired woman finally arrived, walking up the the podium and carefully opening the paper.

"This year's student council president is..." she read the name once to herself before announcing to the crowd, "Kuga Natsuki!"

The students all shouted and clapped for the stunned blunette. Everyone was against her today, how had she won? She showed up late and read a speech she didn't even remember finishing, didn't pay attention to her question answering, and punched out another student. Natsuki stood up and followed Fumi's gestures to speak to them all. Again she looked out into the mass of people for her most important people. She smiled.

_Right... I had Shizuru with me... I owe so much to you..._

Meanwhile the other candidates were sitting here frustrated with their loss. Most of all was Yukino, who knew that as soon as Natsuki won, Haruka would immediately turn it into a competition of sorts and relate it to her own loss to Shizuru in the past.

"Now Kuga-san," the Director spoke, "Of course, you are to choose your own Vice President from the runner ups."

Natsuki gulped. She had totally forgotten about that part, and moreover she didn't hear any of the speeches. In most of the previous elections she'd seen a pattern of friend pairs becoming president and vice president, but now she had to choose. The blunette sighed heavily.

_This isn't the past, it's the future... I'm not Nao, I've already been made president, so I have to act like one and choose the best._

"Who do you wish?" Fumi asked.

"...Yukino," Natsuki replied to everyone's surprise.

The brunette in question was certain that as soon as Natsuki won she wouldn't even be considered for the position of her second in command. Haruka was much the same. She gaped at first, but soon found herself applauding Yukino with the rest as she took her place next to Natsuki on stage.

--0--

Omake:

Nao: Notori... come here a sec?

Notori: (gullible as frak) -smiling- Yeeeeaaasss??

Nao: -smack- You made me such a whore!

Natsuki: Well...

Nao: Shut up!

Notori: Sorry, but this is fan FICTION... And I really couldn't see a HiME-verse where everyone got along perfectly after... So I just changed the ending! Eheheh...

Nao: You suck...

Notori: I mean, it's still mostly romantic comedy stuff, but it's kinda pointless to have it after the Carnival without any mention of it. Your pasts won't dictate what you do in your lives from now on, but you aren't gonna forget them either.

All: Yeah I guess that's fair...

Notori: Anyways on a side note, wanna know what I learned today?

Natsuki: What?

Notori: "Shizushizu" means "sweaty atmosphere" -giggles pervertedly-

Natsuki: O-O! I'm doomed...


	12. Trust Me

A/N: Wow! I'm surprised at the positive reaction to the fight between Natsuki and Nao last chapter -phew- Now I kow my mind is on the right track heehee. Anyways I was hesitant about doing this now but it just came out when I was writing XD. There may be M rated stuff ahead... not sure about the rules on it, if it is just let me know and I'll change the rating.

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read up until now! I hope this one turned out well!**

**Chapter 12: "Trust Me"**

It was the weekend after the student council elections, and all the nice sunshine that had been around during the week was gone. Ever since last night it had clouded over and scattered showers of rain. Natsuki sighed and sat down at her desk to look over some of her new found workload. Her first task was to organize the activities for the upcoming Festival.

_I guess the usual stuff will do..._

She started making a list, and about halfway through the sheet of paper she realized she had only listed different types of food stands to have. Natsuki groaned and sat back in her chair. She went back in her memory, trying to see if she could remember things she liked from festivals she'd been to when she was younger. She was able to get a few more ideas, but most of what she came up with was too childish for the high school crowd. The girl slumped her head in her palm and looked at the wall while drumming her finger with her other hand.

"Shizuru did you ever get stumped with work like this?"

The older girl sat cross legged on the bed, surrounded by different textbooks and papers. At first glance it looked like an incredibly insane amount of work needed to be done, but in reality they were all open as reference points; nothing to get stressed over. Red eyes glanced up at the girl at the desk.

"Of course I did."

"What did you do about it?"

"Hmm... Well usually within two seconds of me not doing anything Suzushiro-san would have already taken over... at which point I stopped caring too much about whatever it was."

Natsuki sighed again. She didn't have someone like that around so most of the work was actually left to her. Well, her fair share. It was divided evenly between her and Yukino, taking into consideration both of their strengths as well as the fact that the latter also had to command the Executive Committee. Natsuki had taken on most of the creative aspects while Yukino was in charge of technical things like scheduling and stand placement. Of course the problem with that was with this weather the blunette was not at all inclined to be creative.

She didn't necessarily hate the rain, it was just easier to think without it. The girl stacked her papers together and pushed them over to the side of the desk, giving up for the day. Natsuki then turned in her chair resting her left arm across the back of it while leaning her head on it to watch Shizuru work. She didn't feel the need to say anything for fear of disturbing her, but the perceptive girl caught on fast. This situation also gave her the opportunity to have some fun with Natsuki. Instead of replying with a teasing remark, Shizuru simply looked up and stared back into Natsuki's eyes, locking her there until she wished to move... Which wasn't for a long time.

The hold was broken when a crash of thunder from the outside caught Shizuru's attention. Natsuki cocked her head to the side upon seeing her girlfriend stare out the window wide-eyed.

"Are you, umm, scared of lightning?" she asked hesitantly.

"On the contrary," Shizuru turned back to face Natsuki with a smile, "I love torrential rainstorms, thunder always entrances me. Strangely enough I feel very calm in them."

She folded up her books and stacked them at the foot of the bed before walking over to the large windows. It was hypnotizing for both of them. Shizuru staring out into the city and watching the rain fall heavily, while Natsuki watched her intently.

_I never knew... Not that it really came up often but huh... interesting..._

After stretching for a second from sitting so long, Natsuki moved to stand next to Shizuru and look out the window. Their shoulders bumped softly, enticing the latter to reach her arm across the blunette's back and pull her close. She was glad Natsuki was here with her, watching the storm, making it possible to share a part of herself with the girl. But something was still off and Natsuki sensed it. She looked up at Shizuru's expression and tried to decipher what it meant.

_She seems happy but... not a hundred percent... longing, but not disappointed either.._

The girl turned around, taking the other's hand in her own and walking out of their room.

"Natsuki? Where are we going?"

"Outside," she answered, "It'll be fun! Trust me!"

It was in that moment that Natsuki feared for her life more than ever. Shizuru lit up so much that she thought the apartment would light on fire, and that was followed by the glomp of a lifetime. The older girl jumped on Natsuki with such force that she fell back and was "victim" to thousands of kisses before the girl on top of her got up and ran to the door. Natsuki lay there spiral eyed for a moment trying to regain her bearings.

_And they say **I** act like a puppy..._

Shaking her head clear the blunette stood and eagerly followed her excited girlfriend outside into the rain. Natsuki had no idea what she was getting herself into... but she could tell by the smile on her love's face she was going to enjoy it.

--0--

"Isn't this romantic!" Shizuru practically sang as she skipped ahead of Natsuki and danced in the rain. The blunette just grinned and nodded along, she didn't have the heart to say getting soaked wasn't entirely her idea of romanticism. She had to admit though, the smile on Shizuru's face was more than enough to make her heart flutter.

_I guess it's sort of fun... _she thought as they walked along the empty streets, going nowhere in particular.

The thunder roared across the sky again making the older girl giddy once more as she looked up. Natsuki laughed and smiled at her, this was getting more fun than she expected. They were really the only people walking around, giving Natsuki that sense of freedom she always loved but in a way she'd never tried before.

"You're really amazing you know," the girl blurted out accidently, it had just come to her mind that second.

Shizuru turned around and grabbed hold of both her hands, pulling Natsuki close to her, causing the girl to blush madly, even more so from the temperature outside.

"Not as amazing as you," she grinned, pressing their foreheads together for a minute. She was surprised when Natsuki tilted her head and kissed her, almost like it was an automatic reaction to being so close. As the blunette pulled back, Shizuru just looked at her with her same perfect smile, "Ookini! A gift from Natsuki, I will treasure it forever!"

The girl raised an eyebrow at this.

"Then what are all the other kisses?"

"All gifts! But this one is special, because Natsuki came out to play with me in the rain for the first time!"

"But... we've been together when it rained before..."

"Yes, but not like it is now, with the wind and lightning; and we were always doing something else. This time is purely out of amusement."

Before Natsuki had the chance to respond, Shizuru turned back to face ahead, but still held one of her hands. She started off slow but soon pulled them both into a race towards a line of trees. They had been heading towards the park and she only realized it now, but it would be much more fun to be there now than in the streets.

It was strange, over the next few hours the pair hadn't truly spoken words to each other. They had found themselves unknowingly in a game of hide and seek when Shizuru once again skipped ahead and stood behind a tree, waiting for Natsuki to come get her. They didn't need to speak. No matter where one ran to and hid, the other would always find her. Granted they were still in the enclosed space of the park, but it was hard to follow a trail with the fallen leaves swirling around in the wind.

Over time Natsuki decided to switch things up a bit, when it was "her turn" to hide, she ran out into one of the open fields beyond the forested area, wondering if Shizuru would find her there or keep searching in the trees. Of course she found her. With a bright smile the older girl leapt forward into Natsuki's arms. The girl slid back a bit on the wet grass to steady herself, but found that Shizuru's legs were wrapped around her back and her arms around her neck. Instinctively the blunette gripped her girlfriend's thighs to hold her up.

Shizuru was nearly close enough to kiss Natsuki when she heard a muted sniffle from in front of her. She opened her eyes to see the girl with a tense expression, and couldn't tell if she was crying or if it was just the rain. She quickly returned to her feet and carefully inspected her.

"Natsuki? What's wrong?"

"Ah!" the blunette wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, "I'm sorry nothing's wrong, it's just... I've never seen you so happy."

Shizuru blinked, taken aback by the observation.

"It makes me so happy to see you smiling and laughing like this, it feels like my heart is going to explode. I just want to keep giving you that happiness forever," she sniffed again and aimed her glossy emerald eyes at Shizuru's, which were also tearing as she pulled Natsuki into an embrace.

"You are so sweet, I can't imagine anyone but you being able to make me feel this way, it makes me love you even more."

Natsuki held on tightly, feeling the soft mist of Shizuru's breath float across her neck. Somehow it was only now that she made the connection, they were both drenched in rainwater, and she could feel the girl shivering in her grasp, though lightly.

"You're freezing," Natsuki commented, removing her hoodie and handing it to Shizuru, "Here, put this on until we get back home."

The tawny-haired girl looked at the article and then back up at Natsuki whose exposed skin was red from the cold.

"Natsuki you're only in a T-shirt, at least I have long sleeves," she protested, but Natsuki only fought back.

"Yeah, but you're cold, I'll be fine. Go ahead, take it," the blunette practically had to put it on with her own hands for Shizuru to accept it, but the job got done; albeit the strange sight of seeing Shizuru is such casual clothing. With a resolute nod, the couple started making their way back to their apartment.

--0--

Natsuki heaved as she held herself against the wall, bending down to remove her shoes.

"Don't you think it's just a _little_ unfair that you called it a race when you were a whole flight of stairs above me?" she groaned stepping into the living room.

Soon Shizuru came up behind her, also out of breath.

"What's unfair is you beat me anyway," she huffed.

Natsuki smiled sheepishly and helped her inside, she accidently barreled over her as she rushed to win. Shizuru hung up the hoodie and wrapped her arms around her body to adjust to the coldness.

"We need to get out of these clothes," she teased, "Though I suppose a warm shower will do just as well."

_Can't we do both? _Natsuki gasped and covered her mouth, blushing like mad over her uncharacteristically perverted thought. Or rather the first of many that seemed to flood her mind at the moment.

"What are you thinking?" Of course Shizuru was the expert on Natsuki expressions and knew that this had come from somewhere other than her remark.

"N-n-nothing!" the blunette stuttered and ran into their room, shutting the door behind her. Her breaths were short and shaky, she was so nervous.

"Natsuki? I know you're hiding something..."

"W-what gave you that idea!?"

"Well... for starters you've locked yourself in our room..."

"Bah! Never mind! Just go take your cold shower! Hot! I mean hot shower! Damn it I'm the one who needs a cold shower!"

Now either she had misheard Natsuki or this of all times Shizuru's brain seemed to fall out of her head. Although she would place it somewhere in the middle, mistaking Natsuki's raving for delirium. She hurriedly opened the door, worried about the blunette huddled against the wall.

"Oh Natsuki you're so pale now! I knew you shouldn't have just worn a T-shirt outside, you could have hypothermia!" and her mind started to scatter in a completely different direction from Natsuki's.

The girl in question was simply trying to keep herself from going mad. She was more confused as to why she was thinking this way now as opposed to any other time. Sure there were times when she wanted Shizuru more than others, but it was a confusing emotion. Much like the night at her parents' home, Natsuki's cool personality snapped into a longing for touch; a loving touch.

Before she knew it the girl found herself sitting in her shower area, with warm water sprinkling over her. She found it strange that she was still in her clothing though. Shizuru hadn't even the thought of anything beyond the girl's health for the time being, and figured that since they were already soaked enough, being in the shower wouldn't effect it. Her plan was to let Natsuki warm up and feel better before taking a proper shower on her own, but that wasn't the consensus.

Natsuki hazily looked up into Shizuru's eyes as she sat back on her knees, making sure the blunette wouldn't faint in the shower. Though before she could make it all the way back her shoulders were grabbed and she was pulled forth towards Natsuki. The younger girl pressed their lips together passionately, soon licking Shizuru's. Though shocked, she allowed the entry in return for her own. The water poured over them both now, as they explored inside each other like never before.

Their legs began to unconsciously entangle and Shizuru lifted a hand to hold Natsuki's back, pulling them closer together. The girl opened her crimson eyes quickly when she was startled by the hands on her waist slowly trail further and further up beneath her shirt. She pulled back for a moment and looked at Natsuki incredously for a second before being brought closer again. With a sigh of refreshment into their next kiss, Shizuru moved to accommodate the new position, focusing more of her balance on her legs. They separated briefly as Natsuki removed the obstructing article of clothing. Shizuru could feel the hot water hit her skin directly and let out a sultry moan of pleasure as she went back to caressing the blunette.

Natsuki was enjoying this just as much, despite her earlier nervousness. It all seemed to disappear after plunging into the moment. They were now somewhat sitting in front of each other and the younger girl continued to feel Shizuru's skin. She was waiting for her to act, but soon found it would not happen easily; at least not without implicit permission. Natsuki smiled into the small kisses over Shizuru's shoulders and collarbone, sliding her hands down her arms, gently guiding her wrists around her. She could still feel the girl's hesitation, her hands were only half open, sliding the back of her fingers along the soft skin. Natsuki stopped for a moment, leaning up to whisper in Shizuru's ear.

"Don't be scared," she said, "I want you."

Shizuru's heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She could feel it pounding so loud in her ears, it was like her soul wanting to escape and fly into Natsuki's body. As if even in this proximity they were not close enough. Gently her hands slid up the girl's back, lifting the shirt with it over her her head where it was quickly tossed aside by Natsuki. Both of them were heated and blushing furiously, listening to each other over the rhythmic water drops in the background. Shizuru arched her back to bend down further than before, now kissing Natsuki's exposed cleavage. The blunette's neck muscles went numb causing her head to swing back as she gasped.

They stayed like this for quite some time, each moving slowly with the other. Over time they had both let go of their jeans, flung across the bathroom floor as they now were in nothing but (Natsuki selected) lingerie. Shizuru was now sitting cross legged on the floor with Natsuki on top of her, legs wrapped behind her back. She continued to gently trace the tip of her tongue along the outline of her bra, waiting for Natsuki to allow her one more step.

While trying her best not to seem distant, Natsuki stood up, using her fingers to guide Shizuru's chin with her. The older girl looked at her, slightly confused as to what she was trying to do, but couldn't look away from the sight of water running itself though midnight strands. She held onto one of Natsuki's hands while the other turned the shower off. Then the hand she was holding gripped her firmly and lifted her as well.

It was strange, usually Shizuru was the one in control of such moments, but this time was very different from most times, or any time for that matter. She could only watch as Natsuki continued to lead, the girl was so beautiful doing so, and it also would assure that she would not overstep her boundaries. The blunette took one of her extra large towels (which she usually used for herself alone) and wrapped it around her shoulders before extending her arms to pull Shizuru inside the fabric as well.

Neither knew how, but they managed to stay this close and coordinate their steps precisely to walk from the bathroom to the bedroom. They could hear the rain dropping into puddles made throughout the day, at the same time they were leaving their own small ones in their wake as they dried their bodies. When the entered the room Natsuki cast aside the towel and they both shivered slightly; but it was soon stopped when Shizuru embraced her from behind. Combined, their body heat was enough to satisfy the need for warmth.

Again Natsuki seemed still, she was waiting for the rest of her plan to be carried out. For a move made on such pure emotion, it was well thought out on her part. She knew Shizuru was the type who learned best through experimentation, and she intended to teach her to be as safe with her as she was. The only way to do that was to give her opportunities and let her take them at her own pace; since she understood that Shizuru was more afraid of doing anything than she ever was of receiving. Natsuki was a patient teacher in the lesson of trust, happily taking in the soft kisses over her shoulder blades.

_Trust me... the way I trust you..._she wished; somehow hoping Shizuru would be able to feel it.

Whether it was because the girl had a momentary lapse of telepathy, or it was merely a coincidence, Shizuru lifted a hand up from Natsuki's waist and slid it over the strap. She moved her head to the other side, drifting her nose through navy tresses, inhaling the girl's sweet scent while gently pulling the piece down over Natsuki's arm. Her fingers were trembling slightly, part nervousness and part excitement.

When it hung loosely over her arm, the girl turned to face Shizuru, looking up at her with sincere loving eyes. Even Natsuki had a hard time believing this was real; she couldn't remember the last time she was so secure, in fact this was probably the first time ever. There was no one she trusted more, or loved more, than Shizuru. No one's happiness was more important.

Soon the couple had made their way to the bed, lying together covered by nothing but a warm blanket. Their skin had dried from the storm and shower, but was still chilled. Water was also still dripping through strands of hair, namely Shizuru's as she slid her way on top of Natsuki.

_She's... so soft..._

The blunette wasn't sure what to expect, part of why she was doing this, she wanted to know. There were many things that could happen at this point and she was glad it was this way. First and foremost in her mind was the other's feelings, and so she would accept anything happily, however this wasn't she had anticipated. Once she started things, somewhere inside Natsuki had braced herself for being ravished completely, not that she'd mind, but it would still need preparation. It was pleasant to feel the care taken by Shizuru with every touch. A faint whisper fell through her lips as she smiled...

"...Ureshii..."

--0--

Natsuki: Oi! Notori! Why no omake now?

Notori: -trying not to fall- I'm sitting on the edge of a dock trying not to lose the laptop while stealing the wifi from this restaurant what do you want from me!

Shizuru: We wouldn't want that... then the story couldn't continue.

Notori: Yes, next chapter is going to take place right after this one, to avoid having to write a lemon...

Shizuru: But... it did happen right?

Notori: Yes don't worry, it's not a dream or anything weird like that... just one long drawn out foreplay chapter XD

Natsuki: -shrugs-

Notori: AH! There's a duck coming to eat me! It thinks I have food! -runs away-

Natsuki & Shizuru: ...Eh?


	13. Dearest

A/N: More unplanned fluff! YAY! Sorry for those of ye who wanted a lemon out of this... I have not the strength to write it XD

**Chapter 13: "Dearest"**

The sun rays seemed to float through the windowpane of Natsuki's room, sprinkled through the clouds left over from yesterday's storm. They glistened over the girls' hair as they lay asleep in each other's arms. Slowly the younger girl's emerald eyes opened as she woke, scanning the sight before her to assure she was in the right place. She smiled at the sleeping Shizuru, who had actually fallen asleep rather quickly once all the energy built up in excitement was, well, expended.

Natsuki tried to close her eyes and fall back asleep, but with the light shining on her face it was impossible. The girl quietly slid herself from the bed careful not to wake the other while she dressed. The blunette was very caught up in romanticism this lovely morning, and wanted to show it to Shizuru. After shutting the blinds tighter to give the latter a better chance at sleeping in, she went into the bathroom to gather their lost clothing and toss it in with the rest of the laundry. Natsuki hauled the basket with her to the door and looked back inside her room.

"Please don't wake up before I get back," she pleaded in a murmer before leaving; shutting the door quietly behind her.

Little did she notice the crimson eye peeking over the ruffled blankets.

"As my Natsuki wishes," Shizuru whispered to herself before closing her eyes again and continuing her rest.

--0--

The girl in questions had started her day very hard at work, she wanted everything to be perfect. It was one of those lucky days where Fuuka academy had the day off at a time that coincided with Shizuru's only class being cancelled. Natsuki dropped off her laundry in the machines downstairs to get that started before leaving to pick up everything she had in mind for her surprise. She was rather giddy in contrast to her normal cold exterior, Natsuki was actually smiling outside in public alone, genuinely content with her life thus far.

First stop was the flourist. The girl opened the door, and took in the wonderful smell of the shop. Though she knew she was short on time, Natsuki hadn't gone with an intended choice and decided to roam around, inspecting each one with care.

_Hmm... these ones are nice. _She thought upon seeing a small collection of tiny blue flowers, tied together at the stem. When she looked up, Natsuki saw that there was more than just blue ones, there was nearly every colour. Just as she was about to take some a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Natsuki-san?" a short boy with auburn hair asked, coming closer.

"Takumi? You work here?" Natsuki replied with a raised eyebrow.

The boy nodded with a smile.

"I wanted to start working like Onee-chan but she wouldn't let me do anything strenuous."

"Speaking of Mai, do me a favour and not mention I was here okay?"

"Sure?" he was rather confused but went along, it's not like it would hurt anyone, "Would you like a basket to put them in?"

The girl nodded and accepted the woven object when handed to her. Natsuki went back to the previous selection and grinned. Takumi stared wide-eyed while she proceeded to practically clear out the entire store. Once Natsuki got her hands on them, she couldn't stop. In the end she had picked out one of each flower in the store and carried her now three full baskets to the counter; leaning on the edge while the boy added up the cost.

"Do you have a reason for wanting all these Natsuki-san?" he asked after the last one was noted.

"What!? No! Why would you ask something like that?" she barked back tomato-faced.

Takumi just looked at her oddly and sighed.

"I didn't mean to pry, it's just... before you see the price it would be best for you to have a firm resolution in mind..."

Natsuki took a moment to consider it, she forgot how expensive flowers were. With a content smile in response, Takumi spun around the small piece on the cash register that showed the total. Natsuki's jaw dropped. On any other day she probably would have stormed out furious, but she was exceptionally happy this morning and wanted to remain that way. She handed over the bills and took her purchase, which was actually quite large considering the uniquely small size of the store.

_Now... next thing to do is get food!_

--0--

Natsuki continued to ignore the strange stares she got from people as she walked towards the supermarket. In her original plan she intended to buy their breakfast, but the extensive cost of the flowers led her to the option of buying in bulk. That in turn gave her the perfect reasoning to make the meal herself. She was a little worried about it turning out right, but assured herself that a year of Mai trying to teach her culinary skills actually _had_ succeeded but was locked away in her subconscious... until now.

Still keeping up her perky self, Natsuki exited the store with her choices and started her relatively short journey home.

--0--

Quietly, the blunette stepped through her apartment, kicking off her shoes at the door to travel more softly. Natsuki looked into her room to find Shizuru still sleeping and smiled, she made it. First she put the flowers on the small kitchen table and attended to the food. It was just as she knew the girl would like, very healthy, consisting of mostly fruit salads thus far. There was still the toast that had to be made, but that required precise timing.

Natsuki had set up both plates and started started the toast, putting herself on a time limit to do the next part. In a flash the girl grabbed the flowers from the table and ran into the bedroom, still with the stealth of a cat. Carefully she tip toed around, placing each flower in every corner of the room and then across the bed until there was none left. The blunette grinned with pride and hurried back to the kitchen just in time for the meal to be complete. She felt a tug at her heart when she passed the mayo jar; it was taunting her. Natsuki clenched her eyes shut and picked up the plates, shaking her head clear as she put them on a tray.

_No mayo today! Must not disappoint!_

Slowly she walked into the bedroom, pushing the door open with her shoulder.

"Good morning," Natsuki greeted softly, moving closer to the sliding lump beneath the sheets, "I made us breakfast."

Shizuru stirred a bit more in her half-sleep before propping herself up with one arm.

"Ara, my Natsuki is so gracious this morning."

The girl blushed and placed the tray on her bed, leaving enough space for her to slide in next to Shizuru where she was shown a very warm welcome. The sheet hung loosely on her on her shoulder but slipped off easily as she raised her arms around Natsuki's neck. The blunette tensed for a moment while being showered with kisses, causing her to blush once more.

"Sh-Shizuru... I umm I can see you."

"Of course you can see me, I'm right here... And I don't intend to leave either."

"Baka! That's not what I meant!" Natsuki was still flushed, trying to look away as to not suffer a nosebleed.

"Mou, Natsuki's turned cold!" Shizuru fake cried as she pulled the sheet back up to accommodate her sitting position, "Now that the moment's over you no longer wish to see all of me. I feel so used..."

Natsuki pouted.

"You know that's not what I meant either!" her semi-annoyed expression quickly faded into a smile again, they were the same as always. She had only realized it afterwards, but there was a possibility it could all change after this. Maybe it had and she just didn't notice, it was early in the morning after all. Natsuki mentally shook herself alert once more.

_Our relationship might have changed, moved forward, but we're still the same... I still love her as much as before, if not more._

Shizuru looked around the room, for the first time taking in the breathtaking arrangement Natsuki had made. Her mouth fell slightly agape in a smile before turning back to the blunette.

"Do you know what all of them mean?"

"I know a few, but that's part of the reason why I got one of each. They all symbolize different things, different feelings. I don't know the meaning behind all of them yet but I'll find out as time goes on," she replied sincerely before turning to the food.

Natsuki took a piece of sliced fruit between her thumb and index finger and was about to toss it into her mouth when it was snatched from her. The girl blinked and looked to the side to see Shizuru munching away happily.

"Oi! That was mine!"

"Kannin na Natsuki, but I'm afraid I have not the energy to feed myself this morning."

The blunette just rolled her eyes in light-hearted manner, as if it say "Oh alright if you insist" while taking hold of another piece. She held it up in front of Shizuru's lips, giggling a bit at the ticklish sensation she felt in her fingers when it was accepted. Soon another similar feeling crossed her own lips and Natuski found herself cross-eyed, looking at the slice of watermelon being given to her. When she re-adjusted her gaze forward she saw a chuckling Shizuru extending her arm balanced on her bent knees. The younger girl smirked and took it roughly with her arms folded across her chest and eyes shut in concentration. She peeked out after she swallowed.

"I thought you couldn't feed yourself?" she joked.

"I could for a brief and shining moment and chose to give it to you, but now my weakness has returned. I seem to only become strong if Natsuki feeds me."

Although the blunette's first instinct was to retort the tease, her heart melted when she saw those dreamy crimson eyes staring at her. Natsuki gave in and continued to feed Shizuru piece by piece, in return for being given her share of the breakfast.

About an hour later the two had finished eating, but were still quite reluctant to move through the rest of the day. Natsuki had gotten up for a moment to return the tray to the kitchen and when she came into the room again she was pulled back into bed. She remained still and calm in Shizuru's hold, though stirred when she felt something graze the side of her ear. The girl looked up to see the other weaving one of the flowers into her midnight locks.

Natsuki smiled in thanks.

--0--

Yet another hour later, the pair was still in bed. Every time Natsuki would try squirming her way out of the sheets, Shizuru would punce on her. It turned into a fun game, and the younger girl's somewhat unconscious willpower to keep herself there led her to have less than perfect escape plans. The farthest she ever got was the edge of the bed where a rather inconviniently placed pillow tripped her. Luckily she landed on her feet, though staggering, and hopped away to catch herself on the back of the sofa in the living room.

Shizuru finally gave in with a sigh, she knew that at some point they would have to get back to normality. The day was fading away and Natsuki still had quite a bit of work to do. Composing herself, she slid out of the bed and stood facing the closet opposite it. As she was scanning it and trying to find what clothes to put on, it was at that moment that Natsuki balanced herself and turned around, expecting to be pulled back into bed. Instead she froze, gaping the stunning figure before the fluttery feeling in her stomach flew up to her nose.

"Gah! Put some clothes on!" she yelled while running away to catch herself before the bloodflow started.

Shizuru just blinked at the empty space where Natsuki was a second ago before smiling somewhat childishly.

"What does Natsuki think I am doing then?" she slipped into her outfit, "And why does she run away? Am I unsightly in the mornings?"

"Baka! That's not -" Natsuki clenched her fists and turned around.

But before she could even finish the taller girl had snuck up behind her and pulled the other closer, causing the latter to blush furiously once more. At least she was thankful it was contained to her face and not exploding everywhere.

"If not that," she leaned close to Natsuki's ear, making sure to breathe extra heavily, "Then Natsuki must be a pervert."

In an instant the girl fell to the floor spiral-eyed and red faced, leaving Shizuru to simply giggle playfully. Perhaps she was being too tough on the poor girl, but Natsuki's expressions were priceless to pass up any opportunity to see them in full force. Still, she had put so much effort into this, it was only fair that she be kind in return and refrain from anymore teasing... at least for a little while. Shizuru extended a helping hand to Natsuki who accepted it thankfully and got to her feet.

Together they then collected all of the flowers spread around the bedroom, putting them all in a vase and setting it on the night stand next to their bed. After going through the daily cleaning ritual of doing dishes and folding the laundry Natsuki had brought up from before, they each went to their respective schoolwork.

Natsuki hovered over her blank paper trying to think of fun filled activities. She hadn't expected her first task to be something she was fundamentally bad at. It had come to a point where she was on the brink of laughing hysterically about what she had gotten herself into. The only thing stopping her was the effort it took into not asking Shizuru for advice. While she appreciated it very much, she wanted to do this on her own and prove it. She would follow her own path, while still paying attention to the footsteps of the person she admired.

Suddenly it came to her, just like that her creativity flowed onto the paper in one fulfilling sentence. Natsuki grinned with pride as she held up the paper to read.

"Ask the students?" Shizuru asked aloud, having read it over her shoulder.

"Yeah! I mean, anything I come up with would probably only be fun for me, so to make it the best ever I figure why not find out what they want? It won't take long, I'll just make an announcement and ask them to drop a note off in the office."

It seemed like the perfect plan, especially considering the rather unique dynamic of their school being based on the students' wishes. Natsuki folded the paper over and stuffed it in her schoolbag with the rest of her books before taking out another one. On top of this she had to remember she still had normal schoolwork to do, and especially now she had to keep up her grades; though it wasn't too much of an issue now that she showed up to class. Taking what summer courses she could the previous year also cut down her course load. In any case, her art homework was the new task.

Natsuki opened the book, while it looked like a hardcover novel on the outside, it was actually a small scrapbook. She spun around in her rotating chair and looked around the room, her eyes settling on the vase she had made up. With a pencil in hand and the book rested on her knee the girl got to work.

"Still life?" Shizuru asked, once again looking up from her own work.

Natsuki nodded and continued sketching.

"It's weird, I took an art class because I thought it would be easy to pass but it turned out to be a lot more fun. I never tried drawing much before but apparently the teacher thinks I'm good. What are you working on?"

"Math unfortunately... such a tedious subject considering I will hardly ever use any of it again..."

"Aren't you good at it though?"

"Good enough, but I can't stand the lack of creativity involved... But the sooner I get it done the sooner I can write."

"Ah," Natsuki just nodded again and flipped a page in her book, starting a new drawing coming straight from her imagination, "What are you writing?"

Shizuru looked up in thought for a moment and pondered what to say, her hesitancy causing the blunette to look at her suspiciously.

"It's a secret!" she said with a grin, earning a pout from the girl in front of her, "Don't worry, it's not all that important, just a short story for my literature class. What are you drawing?"

Natsuki toiled with herself whether or not to call Shizuru on the speed which she changed the subject, but soon realized it a most likely just another trick to get her all riled up. She looked down at her book and then held it up for her to see. It was an abstract drawing, not really looking like anything distinctive, but was an in depth view into her mind at the time she was making it. Although with that done Natsuki had finished her work for the day and took the time to watch Shizuru practically drag herself through the load of calculations needed to be done.

She leaned back in the chair and rested her head in her hands that were folded behind her. As much as she wanted to help, Shizuru's university work would be beyond complicated for Natsuki and probably only end up causing her more trouble by having to teach her. Again the blunette sighed and tried to think of a way to cure her boredom. Although until she did she wanted to stay here.

"Though it's sweet, you don't have to wait for me Natsuki," Shizuru mentioned as she worked.

"Oh sorry, am I distracting you?"

"Well..." she looked up with a cheerful bright smile, "Natsuki is always on my mind, so it is no more than usual."

The blunette playfully rolled her eyes and returned the smile before sanding up to head out to the living room.

"I think I'll go play some video games, don't forget to give yourself a break."

Shizuru nodded back and turned to her work again; she was almost finished. She smiled when she heard the generic fantasy noises coming from the adjacent room accompanied by Natsuki's "back talk" to the screen. Quickly she finished up the last of her math work and took a relieved sigh while leaning her head back on the wall. Doing such things tended to give her headaches so re-energizing before writing was crucial. Of course everything that filled her mind afterwards were thoughts of Natsuki which made her happier.

The girl reached into her bag and took out the smaller notebook, opening it to a clean page and readying her writing instrument. It was a journal of sorts, something she had for a long time and always wrote in it when she could. Not only did Shizuru use it to express her thoughts, but it also came in handy for writing. She could always look back on her experiences to get ideas for a story if she needed, thought she never had before. Everything from before she reunited with Natsuki was not happy enough to write a story, but now things were different. Shizuru would write much more often, taking note of all the wonderful things she did every day; immortalizing them and treasuring them.

--0--

Sometime later, Shizuru closed over her book and rested her hand on the cover. The real writing would come later on in the year when the final project was to be handed in. For now she was in the "data collecting" stage. In any case it was enough for one night. The girl stretched and got to her feet, walking towards the room where Natsuki was still busy playing her game. Shizuru leaned down, resting her forearms on the back of the sofa and watching the screen over the girl's head.

A mischevous feeling inside her was begging her to poke the back of Natsuki's head, but it was safest to avoid that. There was probably only one wrath Shizuru feared, and that was the blunette's boss-loss-rage. Instead she just climbed over to sit on the cushions while Natsuki was on the floor as usual. She was content with observing but noticed the save menu pop up before the console was turned off.

"You didn't have to stop just because I'm here," Shizuru tried to explain before she was cut off by a chaste kiss.

Natsuki smiled and moved over to sit next to her girlfriend, taking her hand.

"But I wanted to, I'm going to be really busy this week so I want to make the most of this extra day off."

"Don't forget to take your own breaks too. I always worry about you pushing yourself too hard," Shizuru said, leaning down to rest her head on Natsuki's lap.

"I'll be fine, just wait and see how awesome this is gonna turn out!"

--0--

Omake:

Notori: I've done it! I've come up with a plot!

Natsuki: Okay... Let's hear it...

Notori: ...-awkward silence- I forgot...

Natsuki: Didn't you JUST have it!?

Notori: I did... but now I've forgotten once again...

Natsuki: You're hopeless...

Notori: It had something to do with an OC...

Shizuru: Are you planning on unleashing your original-created Notori into this universe?

Notori: Oh dear goat no! The character Notori must be contained to a universe where killing people is commonplace. Not to mention people would end up thinking it's a self-insert...

Natsuki: -phew-

Shizuru: So who will this OC be?

Notori: I have no idea... though it will most likely be a guy, writing so many "she"s and "her"s in one space gets confusing.

Shizuru: As long as no one tries to separate us I'm fine with it.

Natsuki: Same.

Notori: Wait! I remember who it'll be now! But you have to wait until the next chapter XD

Shizuru: Do I?

Notori: ...-hands her the script-

Shizuru: ...Very... interesting...


	14. MailOrder Child

A/N: Okay this might seem sudden because well... it is. After reading over my arc outline I didn't like it and wanted something new to happen. So surprise!

**Chapter 14: "Mail-Order Child"**

"Are you lost?" a woman asked a small boy walking around the city with a hand drawn map and a backpack over his shoulder. His fluffy white hair cascaded over his shoulders and his crystal blue eyes stared back at the woman.

Although he really looked out of it, he confidently shook his head no at the woman while smiling.

"I'm okay! Thank you!" the eight year old grinned and skipped off, leaving the woman to go back to her own business.

The boy continued walking for another block before he furrowed his brows at the map and turned it around so that it (hopefully) was right side up. He gave the paper a sharp nod and looked ahead, ready to continue his trek. Having traveled so far he wasn't about to give up now, quite determined for his age.

--0--

Meanwhile at Fuuka Academy, Natsuki was walking down the hall with Yukino heading towards the student council room. They tended to be quiet around one another but not necessarily awkward; they just didn't know what to say. Today was like any other, as soon as they finished their classes it was time to work on council activities.

Needless to say it was was putting a slight strain on her relationship with Shizuru, but only enough to make them all the more happy to meet at the end of the day. The latter was usually home first, opting to walk back for the additional exercise in exchange for being driven every morning by Natsuki. The girl shook her head. Thinking about Shizuru just made her miss her more and wasn't making it any easier to deal with her position.

"Do you think we got any responses from the announcement? It was kinda last minute..." the blunette mentioned, trying to change the subject.

"Hopefully, it was a good idea to ask them though Kuga-san."

Natsuki turned her head with an awkward smile but kept on walking.

"Hey, call me Natsuki okay? It makes me feel weird to be called so formally."

"...Sorry, Natsuki," she replied hesitantly.

They both came to abrupt halt when they turned the corner to the correct hallway. The student council mailbox was flooded and then some with letters and suggestions for the upcoming event. The two girls' eyes twitched at the large pile that was even starting to block the door.

"Yukino... would you mind making another announcement to say that we've got enough...?"

"Already on it..." the brunette said as she held her phone up to her ear.

Natsuki jogged up and opened the sliding door, allowing part of the mountain to slide in on it's own before sweeping up the rest with her hands. She and Yukino let out a relaxed sigh when they entered, but were soon struck with panic again when they saw that all of the outer windows were open, causing a violent wind to fly though the room.

"Ahh! Damn it!" Natsuki cursed as she fought her way through the papers and closed the windows.

Afterward both she and the brunette were treading towards their desks and sat down amongst the incredible workload in front of them. Sighing again, Natsuki picked up the first suggestion she saw, unfolding the paper and reading it briefly. Being still slightly disoriented made her calm for a few seconds before actually comprehending the words written on the sheet.

"What the hell!?" she screamed, startling Yukino from reading her own selection and then throwing it away.

"What did it say?"

"Whoever it was wanted us to have a live size candy house..." the blunette pouted, frustrated to wonder how many more of these papers contained similarly ridiculous ideas.

"Don't we know someone who would ask for that?" Yukino said with a chuckle which made Natsuki groan and fall back into her chair.

"Mikoto..."

Blindly taking another, the kaichou lazily unfolded it and after a second got the same reaction.

"Damn that baka-sensei!"

"Hmm?" Yukino caught the flying ball of paper and then read it aloud, "'Teachers should be allowed to drink even though it is an event for minors Na-chan'?"

"Yeah, with like a hundred exclamation marks, gah!"

And thus Natsuki started her very long afternoon of reading through the suggestions. Thankfully after the first two there actually were some decent ones, such as making it longer and having more fireworks. Then there were some plans about how to make the event more romantic contrasting with others that wanted a less romantic atmosphere. Once the pile was about half gone, Natsuki rested her head on the desk and closed her eyes. While they had gotten so many responses, it still ended up leaving her at a dead end. Some people wanted one thing, others wanted the opposite, there just wasn't any way for her to please everyone; and while that didn't hold any personal tie to the girl, it still frustrated her.

She sighed while sitting up straight again and stretching.

"Oh well, if anyone asks why something went a certain way we'll just tell them it was a nearly unanimous decision!" she flashed a bright grin and went back to work.

"You're a lot alike..." Yukino muttered to herself, unaware that Natsuki overheard.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

The brunette held her breath for a moment, as if she had been caught doing something wrong, but after a calm look from the other girl, she spoke.

"Nothing, it's just... Fujino-san used to say stuff like that too."

Natsuki blinked, at a loss for words.

"Ah... I see..." it made sense in her mind, that after spending so much time around the girl she would pick up some of her traits, but wasn't sure if a comparison coming from Yukino was a compliment or not. That said, she remained quiet, trying to divert from the topic, but was caught off guard.

"Why..." Yukino tried to speak up, "Why did you choose me to be vice president?"

Natsuki put down her suggestion paper and looked to her side.

"Because I think you're the best person for it. You have experience working here and you're reliable, that's all. In truth I think you should have gotten the position of president instead of me... At least you're who I would have voted for."

"Oh... Thank you then, sorry for asking, it just startled me."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

"Eh? Why?"

"I thought you... hated me..."

The blunette was surprised by this confession of sorts. She had always thought that she was the one who was hated. After the Carnival, they had remained frigidly distant while Natsuki grew closer to Mai, even though she was friends with Yukino as well.

"Well... that's an awkward misunderstanding then..." Natsuki said rubbing the back of her neck, "Funny, I used to be so revenge-bent, but now I'm on the side of people who wish to forget or at least get away from the past. So just to... start over new, since we'll be working together, I want to let you know that neither I, nor Shizuru, dislike you."

Yukino looked down at the floor shyly.

"I too... wish for the tension to be eased... We were all under the influence of that terrible curse, and it takes too much effort to blame others when each of us is equally responsible for the damages."

"Right... We were never that close before but that was my fault for being distant, I'd really like it if we could..." Natsuki trailed off, starting to get nervous in her own request.

"Be friends?"

"...Yeah," she scratched her cheek in embarrassment, but they both ended up smiling at each other.

--0--

Still on the streets, the small white-haired boy proudly strolled through the city. Compared to his home, it wasn't that large, but still so many people made it easy to get lost. Again he took a deep breath and stared at his map then looked around. Just as he expected, he was passing by a small restaurant. He smiled knowing this meant his destination was just ahead of him. At least he hoped it was his destination. The child had very little clues to go on before setting out on his journey but still took his chances.

--0--

After working a little longer, Natsuki looked at her watch. It was nearly five-thirty, Shizuru would be home soon since her classes went rather late that day. If she wanted to be home on time for dinner the girl calculated that leaving now would be best.

_Man... I sound like we've been married for years..._

She sighed to herself and stood up to start packing her bag.

"We'll work on the rest for tomorrow, not much is left anyway," she said to Yukino who followed her lead at getting ready to go home.

Both girls stacked the remaining suggestions in a neat spot on the main desk while putting the approved ones in the drawer. Once that was done the two left the room and headed for the front doors out of the school. It wasn't long before they reached it and Natsuki waved a quick goodbye and turned.

"Wait, Kuga-san! I mean, Natsuki..." Yukino stood stiffly when the blunette looked back at her, "I'm sorry, about before... Though I feel it's fair to warn you that Haruka-chan does not share my opinion on the matter. It would be best to avoid her if possible to keep from fighting."

Natsuki nodded.

"Thanks... I'll keep that in mind, but there isn't much I can do. If she hurts either Shizuru or me I'm going to react."

"I know," Yukino looked away, "I just hope that what happend with Nao-chan doesn't happen again."

"So do I, but after thinking about it... As much as I hate to admit it, I understand her. We both know it took a lot of effort to move on, and really, it's only been a year... We're still recovering in our own ways," she spoke softly.

The brunette smiled.

"You've changed, I remember being terrified of you..."

"Heheh, it's all thanks to Shizuru and Mai! If it weren't for them I'd probably be just as angry as Nao..." Natsuki grinned.

The two then parted ways and the blunette walked to the flower garden where her bike was parked. Natsuki looked around as she sat leaning against the side of it. She crossed her arms in thought, feeling something strange. It was unexpected and awkward, almost warped in her own opinion.

_That time was very special..._

Natsuki clenched her fist and told herself she was being an idiot.

_Why? Why the hell would I ever think that?! Does that mean I want to do it over again or something stupid? Argh! Why?!_

She sighed and got onto her motorcycle, a good drive would clear her head.

_Seriously... That was messed up... Yet why can't I shake this feeling? Maybe... Do I admire them in a way? That they still fight for what they love even though it's over? It's gone though! We're free and definitely do not want to go through that again... Geez I'm weird today... Too much reading... I just wanna get back and see Shizuru..._

It finally hit her.

_Shizuru... without the carnival you might have kept silent forever... and I dunno what I'd do without you..._

--0--

The time when Natsuki left school was, as planned, the same time Shizuru was returning to their apartment. She hummed to herself as she climbed the stairs, getting out her keys on the way. Suddenly she stopped, blinking at the person sitting against her door.

"Odd... Did Natsuki get me a mail-order child?" she mused while approaching the boy.

Shizuru stood over him with a somewhat worried expression, watching the child's white hair move up and down with his head as he snored. The girl was very confused. It wasn't every day a lone child would be sleeping on your doorstep. She crouched down and moved his shoulder to wake him.

"Hello, are you lost?"

His small blue eyes fluttered open to meet crimson ones. The boy looked away, this wasn't the person he was searching for. He held his knees tight to his chest and tried his hardest not to start crying.

"I'm looking for my Onee-chan..."

Shizuru looked at him sadly and extended her hand.

"You poor thing, come inside."

The boy shakily took the hand offered and entered the apartment with the girl. While he sat idly on the couch Shizuru's natural reaction forced her to bring a drink for the child. She sat in front of him and offered some tea which he took happily.

_Strange... I've never known someone his age to enjoy tea..._

"Ara! Where are my manners? I'm Shizuru, what's your name."

"Getsumei," he said with a toothy smile.

Shizuru smiled.

"Well Getsumei-chan, do your parents know you're looking for your Onee-chan?"

He shook his head.

"Otou-san never liked talking about Onee-chan... I think he doesn't like her... but I want to know Onee-chan! I don't think she's a bad person!"

"Still, your Otou-san must be worried about you. Don't you think you should call him?"

Getsumei crossed his arms and pouted.

_So cute! _Shizuru's inner self screamed, _No no! I have to focus on the problem at hand. I have someone else's child in my home... who doesn't want to leave._

While she liked playing with kids, Shizuru lacked the skill to actually care for them and had no idea what to do at this point. The best solution would be trying to convince him that going home would be the best option.

"You know, maybe your Otou-san will take this as a sign of how badly you want to find your Onee-chan and then take to see her."

Again it was no use. Getsumei was very adamant about completing his task on his own.

"If I find Onee-chan I can tell Otou-san that she isn't bad! Then I can see her!" he reached into his pocket and pulled out an old crumpled picture, "Otou-san said to Okaa-san that she lived in Fuuka, have you seen her?"

Shizuru raised an eyebrow and took the item. She stared at it for a moment, feeling as if her heart stopped from shock. The girl in the picture was Natsuki! When she was about two years old, but this was definitely Natsuki. This situation just got even more complicated. How would she react to this? Shizuru knew about the complications between Natsuki and her father, that he had left her mother for some other woman... and Getsumei was certainly their child.

"I know I don't look like her... But she really is my Onee-chan!" he cried.

Shizuru was still too worried to say anything. Despite all of her love for Natsuki she couldn't help but feel in the middle of something she shouldn't be. She hoped Natsuki would accept her help, that is if she could think of any to give. But now she had to decide whether or not to let them meet. While she certainly wasn't one to hurt the dreams of a child, Natsuki was always most important to her, and with that in mind she wanted to get Getsumei home as soon as possible. She looked at the clock and sighed, there was no way she could make it, especially with his determination. Natsuki would be home any second now.

"...Your Onee-chan... She is definitely very kind..."

The boy's eyes lit up.

"You know her!?"

Shizuru nodded.

"She will be here soon, but let me talk to her first."

"Why?" he asked cocking his head to the side.

"We wouldn't want her to faint from surprise now would we?"

Getsumei shook his head back and forth furiously; all the energy from his excitement was coming out.

"Oi! Shizuru! I'm home!" Natsuki called as she came in through the front door, hanging up her helmet and kicking off her shoes.

Shizuru appeared near instantly in front of her with an overly bright smile.

"Natsuki can I speak to you for a moment?" she asked through her teeth.

"Err... sure? Are you okay?"

The chestnut-haired girl nodded and pulled Natsuki into their room so quickly that she couldn't see the tuft of white hair over the back of the sofa. The blunette heaved and looked up at Shizuru whose expression had gone from one enormously faked smile to the brink of tears.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" Natsuki wrapped her arms around her waist, "I'm here just tell me."

"Natsuki... Someone wants to see you... but I don't know if you'll want to see him..."

The girl was still confused.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I want to see him?"

"Because it would open up something you've wanted to keep closed for a long time now... But there's not really much of a choice."

"... What is it?"

Shizuru pulled back to dry her tears and take a deep breath.

"Natsuki, the person who wants to see you... is your brother..."

The girl's emerald eyes glazed over, like time stopped and she froze with it. Natsuki stared ahead, half at Shizuru, half not, just ahead.

"... My father's... son?" she finally asked, though still couldn't move.

Shizuru nodded.

"He left his home on his own to find you. Your father wouldn't speak about you so he wanted to know you for himself..."

Natsuki fell over onto her bed, still stiff and looking at the ceiling. Her face was tense, as if she was trying to keep from either breaking something or crying. Shizuru sat down beside her and took her hand.

"I'll support whatever you decide to do..."

"...Whatever I decide...? How am I supposed to decide? This is so... What do I do?" she sat up and grabbed Shizuru's arms desperately, "Please tell me! That person is... the result of my father abandoning me and Okaa-san! How can I not think of that?!"

Shizuru held onto the shivering girl. She wanted to take all of Natsuki's hurt from her; all of her confusion and sadness, she wanted to take it all. To do that required her to do her best to ease the girl's grasp on the current state of things. Again she felt like she was treading into some unknown waters, that she may be scolded for it. But if it was for Natsuki's sake, she would endure scolding, Shizuru knew she had to say what she felt, because it was what Natsuki had asked.

"While he may be the result of it... He isn't the cause of it... If it were up to me I think you should give him a fair chance. But again, I do not wish to pressure you in any way."

"You met with him?"

"Not intentionally... he was sleeping on our doorstep and I thought he was lost."

"Huh?"

"He's only a child Natsuki..."

The younger girl seemed to calm and eventually moved away from Shizuru to sit facing the wall, resting her forarms on her knees. She stared forward, still trying to think of what to do.

_Either way... I have to face this... I've been telling everyone how the past shouldn't control us but... I completely forgot about that there is still one last loose end for me._

Natsuki stood up and walked to the door of their room.

"What will you do?"

"...I'll... figure it out when I see him..."

When the door creaked open, Getsumei fidgeted with excitement on the sofa. It grew and grew when he heard the footsteps coming closer. They stopped a short way away and a deafening silence reigned over the room. Shizuru watched Natsuki confidently folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall; staring at the white fluff.

"...Oi, chibi..." the blunette called blankly, or rather, in a tone that implied she forced herself to be empty.

Upon hearing the new voice, Getsumei jumped up from the couch and sprinted around the edge to look at the girl that stood over him. Despite the fact that she was almost looming, the boy's eyes welled up with tears and his lips quivered.

"Onee-chan!" he cried rushing towards Natsuki and hugging tightly around her waist.

The blunette was frozen and winded from the force of it, bent over slightly from being pushed back a bit. Only a moment ago she was filled with resentment, but now... this fragile being was clinging to her. She could feel his desperation in the small fingers pressing into her skin. Natsuki was still staring ahead, unaware of her changing and growing. Shizuru was right... he was only a child; innocent from his parents' doings.

The girl's eyes began to swell too so she closed them to try appearing strong. Even if somewhere she knew Shizuru could see through her, Natsuki needed to do anything to make herself believe in her strength now. She bent her head down too look at the top of Getsumei's, her tears slowly falling into the white while lifting her arms to reach around his shoulders.

Shizuru smiled at Natsuki's acceptance of her new-found sibling and approached. She too reached forth and pulled the younger girl into an embrace, assuring her that she cared. Natsuki herself was too overwhelmed at the moment, but in a better way that she was just earlier. Somehow she felt complete. Not only because of the literal event of finding her brother, but the abstract thought of family; it would complete her.

_I'm... really glad that we met..._

--0--

Omake:

Natsuki: Well that ended... oddly...

Notori: -waves dismissively- Don't worry, I just ended it like that for dramatic effect. Explanations on how he came there, when, where he was etc all come next chapter... Along with what you two are gonna do with him.

Natsuki: You have a "strange colour" fetish don't you?

Notori: What!?

Natsuki: ...Blue hair, red eyes, white hair... shall I go on?

Notori: -blush-

Shizuru: -still hugging Getsumei- Natsuki can we keep him!?

Natsuki: EH?! He's my brother!

Getsumei: Shizu-nee... I can't breathe...

Natsuki: -remembers all of her hug experiences- Join the club...

Notori: Can I join that club too? -grins-

Natsuki: -punches Notori across the room- Just write the damn chapter!

Notori: (Forgot she wasn't invincible in this universe) -rubs head- Hai hai... but ITWU first... I'm behind...

Shizuru: I still think we should adopt him...

Natsuki: Do you know how awkward it'd look for a twenty-year old to have an eight year old son!?

Shizuru: -ponders- ...It could happen...

Notori: -Feels very awkward- ... -Feels like inserting her fear of children into Shizuru's character-

Shizuru: I heard that.

Notori: O-O! What?!

Natsuki: For someone who's afraid of children you have to admit you had a fun time adding him into the story...

Notori: Well yeah! It's chibi Getsu! -Fear goes away for certain characters-

--0--

A/N: When/if my friend draws it, I'll put up a picture of Getsumei. For now I'll just have to do my best to describe him lol.


	15. With, For, and Because Of

A/N: May be a tad inaccurate... I haven't been around an eight year old since I was one and I don't remember that far back lol. Also, as far as I know, Fuuka is a fictional place, so it has no real "nearby cities," for the purpose of this fic Getsumei's and Natsuki's father's place is going to be unnamed for the time being but approximately two hours away by public transportation. I also don't know if teachers' strikes even happen in Japan but I would assume they could... Having no net really cuts down my research possibilities...

chum-sa: Hmm you're right, I tried in this chapter but it ended up going back to Natsuki again. I'll work harder to give Shizuru some being sweet time too XD. Next chapter should have more.

**Chapter 15: With, For, and Because Of**

Getsumei clung tightly to Natsuki's waist for a long time, and Shizuru was wrapped around her top half. The blunette was surrounded with people who cared about her; it was a very comforting feeling. A few moment's later, the three of them broke apart and went further into the living room, the child following closely behind his sister still giddy with excitement. The two girls sat on the sofa and Getsumei hopped up and sat cross-legged between them with a big toothy grin.

"I'm so glad I got to meet Onee-chan!"

Natsuki smiled as softly as she could, though with a bit of sadness. She had no idea what to say to him, what to talk to a child about, whether or not she could mention her father… She soon decided against that one. The girl scratched her head in awkward thought.

"So umm... Man this sounds stupid, but what's your name?"

"Getsumei! But most people call me Getsu for short!" he continued smiling seemingly unaware that it was an odd question.

Natsuki just nodded and fell back into silence.

_Oh man I'm so bad at this! I guess I'm still a little tense about the thought..._

She felt something on her cheek, Shizuru was stroking it to both calm her and get attention. On reflex the blunette started to pet herself against it before turning and looking her girlfriend in the eyes. Although she didn't say anything, Natsuki could tell that she meant to reassure her. The younger girl looked down at the boy between them.

"Uhh... what do you like to do? Any hobbies or stuff?"

Getsumei looked at the ceiling in thought while drumming his heels lightly against the couch.

"I like school, all my friends are there! We have bike races together in the park!"

This caught the girl's attention, finally something she could at least think about relating too; even though she knew he was referring to a bicycle it was still the same concept. Both enjoyed riding fast and challenges.

"That sounds like fun, do you win often?"

"Sometimes, other times my friends beat me, but it's okay! What does Onee-chan like to do?"

"Me," the other girl interrupted with a playful smirk.

"Shizuru!"

"What? He's too little to know what it means," she continued to chuckle while Natsuki was bright red and trying not to faint. Getsumei just tilted his head back to look up at both of them, truly having no idea what was going on, but assumed it was funny by their expressions. With Shizuru laughing and Natsuki's face making _him_ laugh it really was the only possible thought.

When she heard the lighter giggles below her, the blunette shot a glare of embarrassment at the boy then at Shizuru.

"See! He's laughing he does too know what it means!" she looked back at Getsu, "And you! Quit laughing at me!"

Before she knew it Shizuru had gone, vanished apparently into the kitchen to make the dinner they were supposed to be eating now. Natsuki looked up at the shadow of the retreating figure and sighed lightly to herself.

_You just left so we'd be alone... _She smiled and looked back at the white-haired child in front of her. Things picked up quicker than she thought. The pair of siblings talked about many things, like what they did at school, their friends and other interests. It turned out that they had a lot in common, a lot of things he did Natsuki also did at his age.

About twenty minutes later Shizuru came out with their meals and set them on the table before sitting next to Natsuki.

"So what have you two been talking about?"

"Onee-chan said she'd take me on her bike later and we'd go really fast!"

The red-eyed girl looked at Natsuki skeptically. It was a very special privilege to be allowed on the girl's beloved Ducati, and so naturally Shizuru was surprised at the rapidly growing acceptance of Getsumei. She was happy for Natsuki for being able to experience this nicely. Earlier the girl was worried about Natsuki falling into resentment and disowning the boy immediately but their rocky start was quickly behind them.

The afternoon began fading into evening, a dark blue taking the place of the orange tint in the sky. The clouds were soon camouflaged in with the rest of things and a moonless night was about to arrive. The three had finished eating and were now sitting in the living room playing video games. It had been such a long day that the thought of schoolwork didn't even enter their minds. Whatever it was could wait.

_It's... night?_ Both girls thought simultaneously before looking at each other with a somewhat nervous expression. They had completely forgotten about one thing: Getsumei didn't live there. Natsuki looked over and stared at the boy briefly, waiting for him to feel it but he was too consumed in the game.

"Umm... Getsu... Isn't it like... near your bed time?"

"Aww, but I'm not tired Onee-chan!" the child whined, still focused on the current set of enemies in front of him.

"No no, not that," Natsuki shook her hands nervously, trying to get his attention, "Shouldn't you be going back to umm... where was it you came from?"

The boy cocked his head to the side, confused.

"I came from home."

"Eh, yeah, where is that?"

"It's..." he closed his eyes in concentration before turning his body to face the opposite direction and pointed forward, "That way!"

The girls sighed heavily.

"And how exactly did you get here?" Natsuki asked.

"I looked up your name in the phone book, then drew a map!" he grinned proudly while the older two blinked at him, he was really lucky to have found the right person.

It wasn't that they wanted to end this fun time, but they both had school the next day, the boy supposedly would too, and no doubt his parents had been questioning his disappearance. If the police came and found him there they'd both be in trouble. On the other hand, Natsuki was becoming heavy hearted over the thought of returning her brother to his parents. She hadn't seen her father in so long she couldn't remember his face, not to mention she hated the man.

Shizuru could sense her love's distress and took charge of the situation to give her a chance to collect herself.

"Getsumei-chan, now that you've met Natsuki don't you think you should go back and tell your parents about what happened? Remember you said if you told them how nice she was you would be able to come back and visit? They must be worried and waiting for you."

Getsu slumped into a sulk.

"They won't be worried..." he said looking away, "All Otou-san cares about is Okaa-san! And all Okaa-san cares about is Otou-san!" he was red with frustration and clenching his small fists, "They said they were going on a trip and I should stay with some aunt, but I don't know her!"

Natsuki grit her teeth, again he had left his child, that's all that guy was ever good for.

"I waited for her to pick me up but I started to get scared... so I came looking for Onee-chan... I wanted to show Otou-san that when he leaves Onee-chan can take care of me!"

"They left you home alone to wait for your aunt?" Shizuru asked, clearly worried about the state of the house he came from. The boy nodded in reply.

The blunette was still staring at the floor in sadness and anger. Although it wasn't in the same way, Getsumei knew what it was like to feel abandoned and unloved by the very people where were supposed to care about you the most. She heard the boy's breath hitch and glanced over to see him on the brink of tears. Natsuki looked up at Shizuru with worry before looking back at her brother; she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you can... you can stay here for a few days, right?" she looked at Shizuru again, who nodded in reply, "See? It'll be okay."

Getsumei looked back up into Natsuki's eyes; his blue was clouded with red from the blood rushing to them. After a small sniffle he jumped onto the girl and hugged her tightly, holding on as if his life depended on it. Though the blunette felt emotionally discomforted, she slowly began to embrace him back. A moment later she pulled back and lifted the boy onto the chair.

"We just need to settle a few things. One: Is your aunt going to be looking for you?"

He shook his head firmly.

"Nope! She thinks I'm staying at a friend's house! Before I left, I called her and told her they offered to take care of me and she was happy."

"Okay, so I won't be getting my ass kicked by her. Two: How bad is it for you to skip school?"

"Natsuki! You can't possibly want him to start that habit now do you?" Shizuru intervened.

"Well... no but... I finish too late to pick him up..."

They seemed to be at an impasse.

"I... don't have school this week..." Getsumei mentioned shyly, "They're all walking around outside with signs, I don't know why but they said there wouldn't be any school."

The girls looked at each other.

"Teacher's strike?" they asked simultaneously.

"Yeah I think that's what Okaa-san called it..."

"Okay so... now what do you propose we do?" Natsuki asked Shizuru.

"We can't just leave him here alone."

The blunette felt a tug on her sleeve and looked over to see a watery-eyed boy clinging to her and smiling.

"Can I go to school with you Onee-chan? Please!!"

"Eh? Why would you wanna come to school with me? It's all boring and I have work to do…"

"But I want to meet Onee-chan's friends!"

Natsuki sighed and closed her eyes. She flipped through her mind, thinking about the scheduling for the rest of the week. There weren't many suggestions left to read for the festival, homework was done, she didn't have many classes on the days left; it seemed all clear. The blunette grinned.

"Okay, but only if you promise to behave yourself and not cause trouble for me."

Getsumei's eyes widened and shone brightly as he jumped around the room with joy.

"Don't worry! I'll be good I promise!"

"Good, now go get ready for bed, you need to get up early tomorrow."

The boy grinned and nodded, responding with a slight "mm" before hopping off to the bathroom with his schoolbag filled with supplies. With him out of the room Natsuki finally had a chance to take a deep breath and fall into the cushions of the sofa. Being around someone his age was tiring, especially when the child seemed to have limitless energy.

"Mou Natsuki! You didn't leave me any room to join you!" Shizuru fake pouted while leaning over Natsuki's head. She understood perfectly well that the girl was worn out from the surprising turn of events, as well as wondered if her mind was still in turmoil.

Before she could say anything further, Natsuki had reached up and held her hands behind Shizuru's neck, woven together. She just looked at her and smiled softly.

"I love you," she said, her grin forcing her tired eyes closed once more.

"I love you too," the older girl replied while kneeling to ease the pressure on her back, now she was able to rest her head on Natsuki's shoulder.

They stayed in this peaceful position for only a minute longer before Getsumei was finished washing up and ready to sleep. The blunette groaned and stood up, with Shizuru following closely behind.

"Alright Getsumei, you can sleep in the living room, the couch unfolds into a bed," Natsuki told him while going back to the centre of the area to move the table off to the side and pull out the mattress from the sofa.

As soon as it was open the boy jumped on and bounced on the springs for a second while it settled. Shizuru had gone and gotten a spare blanket and pillow for him. Getsu took what was given to him happily and smiled at the two caring girls who watched him settle into the place. He was still so very thrilled with meeting the sister he was always hoping to find. He didn't know why his father refused to talk about her, how could he hate her? She let him stay in her home on their first meeting and was going to introduce him to her friends, very kind indeed.

"Good night Natsuki Onee-chan, Shizuru-nee-chan!" he smiled into his growing sleep.

The two girls smiled back and bid him good night then walked to their room, shutting the light off on the way.

--0--

Once in the room Natsuki fell heavily onto their bed, desperately needing a rest. Shizuru gazed at her lovingly and stepped to her side. First she lifted the blunette's feet and turned her to the right direction before doing the same to her upper body, making sure she was vertical.

"You did very well today," she spoke, knowing Natsuki was still awake as she continued to take off the girl's excess clothing. They had now gotten into the habit of sleeping in less and less with the late summer heat.

"You think? I was so nervous... But now I sympathize with him, my father really is that kind of man. It frustrates me to think he's going to have to go back there..."

"Is it just that? Or are you also nervous for yourself?"

Natsuki smirked.

"You really can see into my soul can't you? I guess it's both... Maybe asking him to stay was sort of delaying the inevitable... I didn't want to face it just yet; but I do want to face it."

"You're very brave Natsuki," Shizuru assured while removing her shirt, "Your instincts are also very dependable, you'll know what to do when you get there," she slid under the blankets next to Natsuki and pulled her close, "And of course I'll be with you every step of the way."

The blunette could feel both the soft fabric and warm skin on her back. She felt strange thinking this way but despite the extreme change in her life that occurred today, it all came back to this. It was like every other night, where she would fall asleep cradled in Shizuru's arms, feeling vulnerable to her protection. An odd paradox.

"And I must say, you were much like a mother with him," Shizuru giggled, causing Natuski to tilt her head up and look at her suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" she asked, shifting herself to completely face her.

"I mean you were responsible, kind, benevolent... all the traits of a mother. It was very interesting to watch, perhaps Getsumei-chan will serve as Natsuki's practice child," she continued to giggle, but stopped when she heard the surprising response.

"I want a family..." Natsuki said softly, like she was mixed with shyness, sadness, and tiredness, drifting asleep on Shizuru's chest, "I see other people with their parents, siblings, children... and I, well I don't exactly envy them, but I desire what they have."

"That _is_ envy Natsuki," Shizuru chuckled, "But I understand, I can't relate but... I can understand."

"I learned something in life... that really, if you want something done right you have to do it yourself..."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow.

"But families are different right? They're not something you can have on your own…"

"Yeah, maybe that's part of the interest for me, but either way I know it's what I want… To be able to share pieces of myself for pieces of another unconditionally…" she pulled herself closer, "I guess what I'm trying to say is... Will you be my family of the future?"

Crimson eyes started to tear at Natsuki's request, or rather, her proposal of sorts. She couldn't hold herself back from passionately kissing the girl in her grasp. When she moved her mouth away it was only to embrace Natsuki fully. Shizuru wanted to absorb her, or be absorbed in her. It took a minute or so for her mind to function properly again, but when it did she looked the girl in the eyes, smiling.

"Yes," she wiped more tears from her eyes, "I will be your family forever."

Natsuki too began to feel the pull on her heartstrings; it wasn't heavy but had an effect like a violin. The pressure inside her was fluttering around like the notes of a complex melody bringing tears of joy to her eyes. Part of her didn't know what she was doing, but other half just didn't care, she was too happy and all she wanted to do was stay in this happiness forever. No matter how or what it would take, even if it didn't adhere to everyone else's idea of logic, that's what she wanted.

As usual, Natsuki was spontaneous, a trait Shizuru thoroughly enjoyed. She could feel the blunette's fingers cling tightly to her back and unconsciously did the same. In truth she was actually a bit skeptical as to what exactly she was being asked, but, like Natsuki, whatever it was made her feel incredibly happy, so it didn't matter where it came from. All she hoped was that this wasn't some sort of dream, that she really could live as Natsuki's family.

The couple didn't speak another word to each other that night, but remained very much awake for a long time. Both wanted to be conscious to feel the other, and while sleep tried to pry its way into their bodies, they fought it back to keep holding on. Nevertheless, the time did come where they needed to rest. Over the time they had spent together Natsuki's habit of rolling around violently had ceased and she grew to continue returning Shizuru's touches.

Even in her dreams she retained her earlier emotions, subconsciously acting out their life together as well as reflecting on their past joys. Natsuki never realized how much she loved those little things, staying late after school while Shizuru worked and she just had nothing else to do. There were even a couple of times she came to school knowing the older girl would be there, always accepting of her presence. The blunette smiled in her sleep, gently snuggling closer to her living body pillow. Tightly holding onto her everything.

--0--

As usual Shizuru woke up naturally about an hour before Natsuki's alarm went off. The girl sat up halfway, holding her torso up with on extended hand while using the other to rub her head and comb through her bangs. She then yawned and stretched both arms out in front of her before slipping out of the edge of the bed careful not to wake Natsuki. In her half-sleep she was about to walk out to the rest of their apartment wearing nothing but a bra and panties. The girl opened the door slightly but quickly shut it when she saw the open couch.

_Right... there's a child in the house..._ She looked over at Natsuki's sleeping body; nearly whimpering as she tried to reassure herself, _I can last... just... a few more days of just hugs and light kisses..._

Shizuru trembled as a breeze of cool morning air hit her open skin. She took her robe from the hanger on the back of the door and wrapped it around her.

_I suppose it wouldn't hurt for today, it's chilly..._

Once she was properly dressed for that hour of the morning, the girl left the room and went to the kitchen to start her usual ritual of making their breakfast and lunches. She fumbled for the fridge handle briefly before being startled so much she nearly fell over.

"Mornin' Shizuru-nee-chan!" Getsumei chimed from behind his cereal box, "You're up early."

Once she composed herself, Shizuru smiled at the boy and went to sit at the small kitchen table with him.

"Ohayo Getsumei-chan, do you usually wake up at this time?" she asked leaning with her chin in her palm while sitting against the wall to the side.

The child nodded.

"Yup! I usually make breakfast for Otou-san and Okaa-san."

"You like to cook?"

"Mm! I can't bake well, but I like making meals," he took the last bite of his cereal and crunched away as he hopped from the seat and went to put everything in its proper place.

Shizuru was astounded by how responsible he was, she worried a bit as to why he had learnt such behaviour, but in the end it benefitted him. The girl stood up and walked up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder while reaching overhead to take out the supplies she needed to have her breakfast. Those two spent the time talking about random subjects, though they did seem to have one thing in common. Every topic always somehow related to Natsuki.

Soon enough said girl had woken up and tumbled into the kitchen, nearly sitting on Getsumei since he was in her usual spot. After eating, Natsuki went to get into her uniform while Shizuru made their lunches and Getsumei insisted he'd help since they let him stay there.

Once everyone was prepared to go, the three headed down to the front of the apartment complex and walked to Natsuki's motorcycle.

"Wow! This is is Onee-chan's bike!?" the boy asked in astonishment, earning a proud grin from the younger of the two girls.

"The only question is how do all three of us get on?" Shizuru asked.

They pondered what way was best, and decided that Getsumei sitting at the front was the safest of the many dangerous options. Natsuki's skill at unsafe biking was not to be underestimated, the boy would be fine as long as he hugged the engine and kept low enough for the blunette to see where she was going. Shizuru was last to get on and had her usual grin beneath her helmet when she was able to wrap herself around Natsuki to hold on tighter.

As soon as they were secure, the Ducati sped off into the streets, heading first to Fuuka University where they dropped off Shizuru as was the norm. The chestnut-haired girl removed her helmet and placed it on top of Getsumei's head. Both girls were expecting it to be at least a little loose, but the boy had so much fluffy hair it filled the space perfectly, and they laughed to each other. Shizuru leaned down, timed perfectly with Natsuki removing her own helmet to kiss her goodbye.

"I'll be waiting for at home," Shizuru whispered before stepping back with a smile, her crimson eyes glimmering.

The blunette turned red as usual and quickly placed her equipment on to cover it before driving off to her own academy. The two arrived and parked in the flower garden. Natsuki had to grab Getsumei by the hand to keep him from standing still in awe of the place.

"This is Onee-chan's school?"

"Yeah, my class is on the third floor. We don't have much time now but afterwards I can show you around, maybe during lunch too but I'm not sure."

They walked briskly up to the front doors, just about to open them when a loud fangirlish cry sounded from behind them. Natsuki turned wide-eyed to see a bunch of girls running towards them with their eyes stuck on the white-haired child at the kaichou's side.

_Oh man... rabid fangirls..._

--0--

Omake:

Natsuki: O-O! OMGWTFBBQ!

Shizuru: Did she just...?

Notori: Guys... it's called suspense... If I told you the details of it now it would ruin the next chapter.

Natsuki: But!

Notori: Just calm down, remember I said anything can happen in this fic? You two signed up for the positions willingly.

Natsuki: No we didn't! We just grew out of your obsession!

Notori: ...And look how well it turned out! XD

Shizuru: Well, it's definitely unexpected... but I still don't think that's all there is too it.

Notori: Nope, it's sort of... ah no I'm not gonna say, you'll just have to see next time! Besides you still have Getsu to take care of.

Natsuki: Right... bringing him to school, -sarcastic- good plan Notori.

Notori: Isn't it? Mai's totally gonna freak out!

Mai: Hey what's the fun in watching me freak out?

Notori: Because then Natsuki makes those embarrassed faces we all know and love, right?

Shizuru: -nods-

Natsuki: ...

Notori: Okay I get it your minds are focused on the other plot twisty thing; you'll just have to keep reading to see what exactly it was and the reactions XD.

--0--


	16. It's Beautiful

A/N: I just realized there was a major seme-uke switch in this story lolz. I'm slowly going to try getting it back to the way it was before. That being said I only realized this after writing this chapter, but anyway enjoy this chapter! The true meaning of the major plot twist is revealed. Hope nobody thinks its wierd, and if it is, wierd is good and adds to interesting developments lol.

**Thanks to all the reviewers and favourite +ers and alert +ers and readers and order out delivery guys who helped me write this fic so far XD!**

**Chapter 16: "It's Beautiful"**

After just barely escaping the wrath of rabid fangirls, Natsuki and Getsumei had made it to the girl's class where Mai, as usual, was there right on time. Lucky for them that their homeroom teacher was so laid back. The blunette stepped in and closed the door behind them, but was caught by the girl's busty friend.

"Oh my God Natsuki who is this!?" Mai exclaimed while crouching down to reach Getsumei's height; Aoi right beside her.

Chie was off in the background taking pictures of the white-haired boy introducing himself to his sister's friends.

"I'm Getsumei!" he grinned, "I came to meet my Onee-chan!" he said hugging Natsuki's waist. Mai blinked at him and then looked up at her friend.

"...Is he serious?"

Natsuki shrugged and led the way to her desk, pulling up a chair between her and Mai's places for Getsumei to sit. Once they settled back down it was clear the redhead was eagerly waiting a reply.

"A lot has happened, yesterday Shizuru found him sleeping on our doorstep... But yeah he's really my brother..."

Mai smiled at the boy before looking up at Natsuki with a caring expression.

"And you're okay with this?" she didn't want to seem out of place, but she genuinely wondered about her friend's well being in the situation.

"Eh? Why wouldn't Onee-chan be okay?" the boy looked up at the two girls whose heights seemed to tower over him.

Natsuki nodded in thanks for her friend's concern and patted Getsu's head.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I've never been good at meeting people but I dunno why, this time it was easy. He's staying with us for a whi- OW!" yet again, a piece of chalk was flung into the back of her head.

"Na-chan! No plotting against me in class!"

The blunette turned around furious as usual, clenching her fist.

"We weren't plotting against you, you moron! I was just introducing Mai to Getsumei!" Natsuki had completely missed the fact that as soon as Midori knew about the child, her own form of odd teasing would hit.

The girl slumped into her chair and groaned when the exuberant teacher nearly bolted over to their seats all sparkly eyed at the boy.

"You're so cute!" Midori exclaimed, ginning just as widely as Getsumei was, alerting both Mai and Natsuki to take a mental note of their very similar personalities. After calming the woman down, the blunette took a moment to discuss with her the arrangements concerning the boy's temporary visit in the classroom. It was agreed that as long as he behaved himself it would be fine. The girl smiled at her brother and sat back down in her seat ready to begin the lesson.

--0--

It was a long morning, even with Getsumei's presence getting a lot of attention and often unintentionally causing digression from the course material. Natsuki continued to scribble on her paper, half taking notes, half just drawing. It was a history class so as long as she listened most of it would piece together with her notes. And if all else failed, there was Mai, the intense note-taker who managed to copy every single word said in the lecture.

As soon as the lunch bell rang both Getsumei and Natsuki jumped out of their seats with their arms lifted high, praising whatever divine being there was that it was time to eat. The blunette turned to her friend while lifting her bag over her shoulder.

"Alright, let's get Mikoto can get out of here!"

"Right, let's go!" the three started walking down the hallway and down to the floor below when Natsuki felt a tug on her sweater.

"Onee-chan, who's Mikoto?" the boy asked.

"Mikoto is Mai's secret lover when Tate isn't around," she said nonchalantly as they kept walking forward.

"Hey! What the?!" Mai exclaimed, though with a blush rivaling the older girl's. The blunette just continued moving to the nekogirl's classroom while Getsumei blinked in a rather confused manner before skipping after them.

As soon as Mai went to open the door she was barreled down by Mikoto who buried her face in the girl's ample chest area. Natsuki was used to it by now, but once again Getsumei was shocked and confused at the behaviour of his sister's two friends.

"_That's _Mikoto," Natsuki said, pointing to the youngest of the girls who was being pulled up by Mai, "And Mikoto, that's Getsumei."

The girl let go of Mai and took a step towards Getsumei. The boy was inwardly nervous about meeting such an energetic person, but soon remembered that he himself had lots and would like someone to play with all day, and this girl seemed like just the one. The two grinned at each other simultaneously and gave a warm thumbs up. Their two "older sisters" smiled at their meeting and headed out to the tree they usually ate under on nice days like this.

All four of them opened their bentos and started to eat.

"Onee-chan, do you like your lunch?"

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. She hadn't noticed it until now, but it _was_ different from what she usually ate; not bad though.

"Yeah, it's good. Why? Did you help Shizuru make them?"

Getsu grinned and nodded.

"I figure the reason why Onee-chan likes Shizuru-nee-chan so much is because she makes yummy food!"

Natsuki and Mai sighed and chuckled at his innocence while Mikoto beamed at the latter girl to express her similar feelings of pleasure for her culinary skills. After they finished Getsumei had asked Mikoto to play with him in the nearby field and she happily complied, leaving the older two to themselves.

"You're taking this shock better than I thought," Mai commented, taking a sip of her water.

"Yeah, at first I was angry but then Shizuru reminded me that it wasn't his fault. She was right; once I got to know him everything else flowed naturally. I never would have known how much I enjoy being an older sister to someone," Natsuki smiled.

"It really is a nice feeling, if your siblings are good that is. I think we just got lucky considering how many people I hear complaining."

"Heh you're right, but it's for the best... I want to spend more time with him; we missed out on a lot together thanks to our father..."

Mai leaned back against the trunk of the tree.

"What are you gonna do when he has to back? I assume he _is_ going back right?"

"I guess I'll have to face him... I don't even remember what my father looks like, all I know is I can't stand him. He even does the same thing to Getsumei! That's why he's staying with us, because my father and his mother left on a trip somewhere and told him to stay with a relative he didn't know!" Natsuki was clearly getting frustrated, "He takes us for granted... I hate it..."

"Well you still have a few days, and I'm sure Shizuru-san will be there with you, so no need to worry right?"

Natsuki chuckled, while it was true having Shizuru on her side would be great, the cause for worry was still a debatable thought if her father did anything irrational. The girl's wrath could never be underestimated. The blunette smiled softly and looked down at her fists that where unclenched.

"Yeah, it will be fine, because we have each other."

Mai nodded and smiled back, but was caught with a bit of surprise when Natsuki's expression didn't seem to waver.

"You say that with an odd tone Natsuki? Everything alright with you two?"

The girl looked up and shook her head, starting to blush.

"It's not wrong," she rubbed the back of her neck, "No, not wrong at all, very right... But it's complicated..."

"What did you do?" Mai asked suspiciously before sighing and taking another sip of her water; by now Natsuki was completely red.

"I uhh... kinda... umm..." she continued her internal battle to voice herself, "I sort of... proposed to her..."

--0--

"What do you mean she "sort of" proposed to you?" asked a very confused Reito as he put down his cup of tea.

Shizuru sat across from him at the table, using all her strength to focus on thinking about things before getting all giddy and throwing reasonable thoughts out the window. She took a bit of her own drink and set it down, the warmth calmed her nerves.

"It wasn't exactly a marriage proposal," she started, "Yet it had the same concept. She asked me if I would be her family of the future; and I agreed. But then this morning she didn't say anything about it…"

Reito sat back in his chair and closed his eyes thoughtfully. It was indeed a different situation from most proposals, and he was also not wanting to get his friend's hopes up too much in case it was just a slip of the tongue for Natsuki.

"From what I see, she's asking you to be a very close part of her life forever, but didn't have the right mindset to ask for marriage in particular," he sat up straight again and rested his elbows on the table, "Why not try asking Natsuki-chan herself?"

Shizuru stiffened. In truth the thought had occurred to her earlier that morning, but she didn't want to hurt Natsuki's feelings.

_What if she was completely serious and I misinterpreted thinking it was in a way, less than, the full step? Or wait! What if I misinterpreted and it was just a momentary lapse from stress? She was half asleep when she asked but... No, her voice was too serious..._

The girl's inner conflict was surfacing into her expression as she quivered nervously in her seat and shut her eyes tighter.

"I guess first and foremost you should ask yourself how you would answer in each possible scenario. The most important question being: if she was completely serious, and meant it to be a marriage proposal, do you really want to? Only a short while ago you were scared to be close to her..."

--0--

The redhead's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as her jaw dropped and she started to choke on the water she was swallowing. So many surprises were happening in one day her head was spinning. Sure, Mai herself wasn't directly involved but this was one of her best friends she was talking to.

"Seriously Natsuki! What are you thinking?!" Mai bellowed.

"What? I thought you'd be happy for me..."

The girl sighed and slumped down, maybe her reaction was a bit harsher than she hoped but it was all so sudden.

"I am happy for you, it's just... Think about it, you're both so young, how do you intend on supporting each other?"

"Yeah... there's that point to consider... but I think we can make it. Though I did promise myself I wouldn't ask at least until I had a steady job, but I don't want money to influence this. It's not about how well we can live, as long as we're both alive and together it's fine with me. And I plan on being both for quite a long time."

Mai nodded.

"I understand that, but then there's also the question of if your relationship is ready. You've only been dating for like three and half months after a year of not seeing each other. Isn't that going way too fast?"

"It's... not like that," Natsuki shook her head, "Shizuru and I, we... in a way we were always dating. We were best friends, and she was always the person I loved the most, even if it only turned romantic later on. Still, there were times when we'd go out, I thought it was just two friends doing whatever... but she probably thought of them as dates... and I don't mind that, in fact I find it sort of cute... In the end..."

--0--

"No matter what kind of pain we went through in the past... she's still the person I want to spend the rest of my life with," they both said, together, with sweet, peaceful smiles.

--0--

Shizuru walked home silently, quickly switching between two sets of emotions; most of the time she was trying to force herself to plan ahead and figure out what she would say to Natsuki. It was one of the rare times she was really having trouble with her speech. So much was on her mind now, and it didn't help that every few seconds a small voice would suddenly yell "You're gonna get married!!" and cause her to burst out into a fit of joyous giggles in the middle of the street.

A few seconds after each one Shizuru would compose herself and continue walking as if nothing happened, ignoring the stares. She had to remind herself that there was no certainty yet, other than Natsuki wanting to be closer to her.

_No… it's more than that… "Family"_ She repeated in her mind, _Natsuki wanted me with that… title… that specific position in her life._

The girl sighed as she nonchalantly opened the door to their apartment and headed to their room where she set down her bag. Shizuru climbed into their bed and hugged Natsuki's pillow between her chest and bent knees; trying to entice her thoughts with the blunette's distinct scent. It was a wonderful feeling to think of being a part of Natsuki's family, and letting Natsuki be a part of hers. No doubt she would accept the proposal if it was truly that case.

_Well, I would do anything she asks of me…_Shizuru thought with a meek smile,_ Really, and the consensus is that I'm the dominant one? I dote on the girl like no tomorrow…_

She continued holding onto the pillow, but let herself fall onto her side, lying on the bed. Her face eventually crunched into a frown while she rolled back and forth in frustration.

_Mou Natsuki! That was very mean of you to not say a word after asking such an important question!_

"Oi Shizuru! We're back!" Natsuki called from the small foyer where she and Getsumei removed their shoes and walked in, "Shizuru?"

"You're home early," she commented, exiting their room after fixing herself up to return her face to its natural pale colour, "Easy day?"

The blunette nodded.

"Work-wise it was fine, but we sure attracted a lot of attention…" she said, kicking her feet up on the coffee table and relaxing on the couch.

Getsumei came up beside her, following attentively before turning around on the couch to face the older girl who was standing in the door frame of their bedroom.

"I met Onee-chan's friends today!" he grinned.

"That's great," Shizuru replied with a smile "Mai-chan and Mikoto-chan I presume?"

The boy blushed and looked away.

"Ara?"

"Oh yeah, he has a crush on Mikoto," Natsuki added calmly before being pulled away by her pouting brother.

"No I don't!" he was still quite red. Both girls simply laughed it off and the blunette got up off the couch, walking towards her room to start working on homework.

She was caught on her arm by Shizuru's hand. The girl's ruby eyes seemed to loom with light distress when she looked into Natsuki's surprised emerald ones.

"Hmm?" asked the latter. Shizuru thought for a moment before shaking her head and letting go.

"Mm… No, never mind it can wait, we should eat first."

Natsuki looked at her suspiciously as her girlfriend left for the kitchen with her brother following closely behind. She could tell something was up but unless someone blatantly told her such things ended up going over the girl's head. The blunette sat down on the bed and dragged her bag of schoolbooks up beside her. She opened up her sketchbook and looked around the room for something to practice on; but everything in their room as so sharply defined. Most of it was furniture with a general square shape, nothing good to draw.

After giving up on that project, Natsuki lay back on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. The reason why she couldn't find anything to draw was probably because there was something else she wanted to think of first. It consumed her mind to think of what Shizuru was feeling, she tried her best to hide it but Natsuki saw the chaos inside her.

_Did me asking bother her? But… she said yes… Wait is she getting second thoughts?_

The girl sat up quickly and left the room, almost in time to bump into Shizuru bringing out their food. Luckily both had acute reflexes and managed to avoid the catastrophe. Natsuki hopped off to the side for a second before following the older girl into the living room, again followed by Getsumei. When the three sat down and started to eat, Natsuki kept looking up at Shizuru who seemed to have covered up her earlier emotions. There was nothing wrong with Shizuru being normal, but when she _acted _normal, that's when there was cause for concern. The blunette reached over and touched her hand to catch her attention.

"I… Just…" she couldn't think of how to phrase it, "Just don't worry okay?"

The sandy-haired girl visibly softened and smiled back. She didn't say anything in words, but her expression told Natsuki that she trusted her judgment, and so her distress dissipated. The blunette calmed as well, glad that was temporarily fixed. The three continued to eat and as usual after finishing Natsuki would wash all of the dishes while Shizuru worked on her school assignments.

With Getsumei's help it was taken care of quicker than normal and the rest of the evening was set before them. Natsuki placed her brother in front of the TV and let him go to town with her video game collection for now, wanting to attend to Shizuru as quickly as possible. The girl carefully opened the door and looked in on the girl sitting at the desk, writing something.

"Hey…" she started off slowly, "Are you okay…?"

Shizuru turned around and looked at her skeptically and then smiled.

"Yes, although," she got up and went to the blunette, wrapping her arms around her waist, "I've just been… confused."

"Confused?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way Natsuki… I'm just… not entirely sure what I agreed to last night…" she looked to the side, but her chin was caught by Natsuki's fingertips and guided back.

"Are you having second thoughts?" her voice sounded worried, "It's okay I mean I know it was sudden and after talking to Mai I completely understand if you wanna take it back and I guess I shouldn't have asked in the first place I just really really love you and-"

Her long string of words was cut short by her lips being taken. As soon as Shizuru felt her calm down she pulled back.

"Natsuki, I already said yes. I simply wanted to know what you meant by becoming your family. I'll be anything for you…"

The smaller girl took a deep breath, inhaling all of her fluttering thoughts back to herself.

"I meant family… and since marrying you means that you'll be my family then that's what I want!"

Shizuru's eyes lit up.

"I'd love to but… we're-"

"Yeah I know we're young and we have no money but that's not what this is supposed to be about is it?"

Her ruby eyes blinked at the girl's determination and more over at how logical she was being. Here she was thinking about all the technical reasons why they _shouldn't_ do this when Natsuki was already a step ahead and realizing the true meaning of it.

"I love you, and I want to be with you forever, so… why not do this now?"

"You… You're so right," Shizuru fully took the girl in her arms, "I won't ever leave you, you're everything to me and that's all that matters."

Natsuki happily returned the embrace.

"I guess I should ask you officially then right?" the older girl watched, shaking with anticipation as Natsuki took her hands and looked up into her eyes, "Shizuru, will you marry me?"

"...Yes!" Shizuru cried into the crook of Natsuki's neck. Both of them had faces wet with happy tears and racing hearts.

After a few minutes they appeared calmer and breathed regularly, taking a moment to step back and compose themselves once again. They had to try to avoid each other's gaze out of fear they would burst into another fit. Eventually Natsuki spoke while looking at the floor shyly.

"I'm sorry I don't have a ring or anything," she mumbled.

"Don't worry Natsuki, this is our engagement, we can do it however we like."

The blunette nodded, but still felt she had to give her love something to commemorate this day. Suddenly she rushed over to her schoolbag and pulled out her sketchbook. Shizuru observed the girl intently, watching her get to work quickly and wondering what it was going to become. Natsuki's determined expression eased in ferocity and she gently tore the page from its binding, giving it over to the other girl.

Shizuru took it and smiled when she saw the picture. The soft lines depicted a pair of hands laced together; it was roughly done, but that was part of it's charm. She held it close to her heart and sat down beside Natsuki, pulling the nervous girl into embrace and kissed her on top of her head.

"It's beautiful!"

--0--

Omake:

Notori: Dear goat I wish I could channel my stress as positively as they do XD.

Mai: NOTORI! Are you insane!?

Notori: What? Look they're happy! -points at the couple in cuddle mode-

Natsuki: Yeah Mai, stop dissing my wedding!

Mai: -Freaking out- But! But!

Notori: -shrugs- Come on, it's not like I'm spoiling anything by saying they were going to stay forever together. This is happy story about them, so since breaking up was out of the question, my next plan was how to make this original.

Mai: Yeah... It certainly is unique to be getting engaged at like 19 and 20.

Natsuki: Think about it, by the time we plan the wedding and stuff it will be about a year and a half later anyways.

Mai: I guess...

Notori: And isn't this a lot happier than my old plan involving much post-Carnival-themed angst?

All: -nods-

Shizuru: Although Notori you do have to worry about the reactions of all the other characters... like the ones you created... namely my father.

Notori: Oh dear... poor Hiroshi is gonna have a heart attack XD. But see! This is a lot more fun of a plot than what I was doing before, even though this wasn't the proposal I had in mind, I think it's best to write from the heart and not some plan.

Mai: Okay I can see how it'll work, although what about the money they need to have the ceremony?

Notori: What do you think your gift is gonna be?

Mai: O-O! You're joking right?!

Notori: Only somewhat... Anyways!

Shizuru: Notori what's your wedding gift to us?

Notori: ... Writing the thing? XD

Shizuru: Fair enough.

Notori: ... Having to see you go... T-T

Shizuru: -pats Notori's head- There there, you know as well as I do that we never had a chance in the first place. -smile-

Notori: -sniff- I know... -Runs away to write-

--0--

A/N: This is the best Getsumei picture I could get for now. He's actually 17 in this one, and wearing ninja gear XD but the hair and expression says it all. Lol... Getsumei Ramen House... http : / /img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image(equals sign)getsumeino2.jpg


	17. News

A/N: You didn't think I'd abandon this story now did you? -gets hit with projectiles- Yeah okay I'm sorry for not updating, I really am. The downside of saying screw it to my old plan is that now I have no plan XD. But behold! I live!

**And thanks to the reviewers!! T-T Sorry I forgot to thank you when I first uploaded this.**

**Chapter 17: "News"**

"Good morning... my fiancé," Shizuru whispered into Natsuki's ear while hovering above her in bed.

The blunette turned a deep shade of red and tried to hide beneath the blanket but was stopped by the older girl wrapping her arms around her. Natsuki tried to squirm out of the hold but it was too late. Shizuru had rolled onto her back, thereby pulling her lover with her into an awkward position on top of herself. The pair soon fell into an early morning wrestling match with the groggy high schooler trying to escape but falling weak to Shizuru's touch. They laughed together, getting tangled further and further until the green eyed one managed to break away.

It was only for a short moment before she decided to return for "revenge." Natsuki had scampered away on her hands and knees before turning around to meet with Shizuru who was already sitting up, ready to reach out again. The blunette pounced, pinning the other back onto the bed by her shoulders and making sure she stayed that way by straddling her hips. They continued to laugh into a series of gentle kisses to each other; starting as pecks over their faces to their lips.

"Good morning," Natsuki replied with a smile, slowly slipping her arms beneath Shizuru's to embrace her.

The latter combed through the navy locks sprawled across her collar bone; oh how she enjoyed petting her little puppy. She continued to let Natsuki lay there, forever if she wished, simply enjoying the sound of her breathing. It was a rather sweet sound, not quite a snore, but more of a tender hum through her lips.

"Ne, Shizuru?"

"Hmm?"

"...Is today a special occasion?"

"Every day with Natsuki is a special occasion," she teased, literally feeling the temperature on the girl's skin rise.

"I mean, is today a... a mayo-worthy day?" she whimpered.

"Surely Natsuki did not propose to me simply so she could have an unhealthy lunch?" Shizuru asked with feigned shock.

"I! No! I was just wondering!"

"Good, because I still would have said yes, and then you would have been stuck with me forever," she gently nipped at her earlobe upon whispering it, "... But I suppose today is certainly special enough to give Natsuki a reward. She did do such a fine job with our engagement sketch."

The girl blushed again and looked up at the framed picture on their nightstand. It was really just an implusive quick drawing for that exact moment. Over the course of their engagement she intended to buy her love a real ring, even if it was not the most expensive one in the store.

A few minutes passed.

"I guess we should get up, I can't wait to get to school and tell Mai the good news... and watch her explode," Natsuki giggled.

"Reito-san will be pleased too."

Some more time passed.

"... Shizuru?"

"Yes?"

"I don't want to get up..."

"I don't want you to get up," she replied with a smirk and a tug closer.

The happy couple continued to lie in bed through the morning minutes. While both knowing they had school to attend to, today of all days would be difficult to separate. Although, being enthralled in each other for the time being, both had failed to remember one last factor in their day.

"Onee-chan!" Getsumei yelled as he barrelled through the door, fully dressed and ready to head off to school, "Why are you still in bed?!"

The boy was hopping up and down in excitement and running around the room trying to pile together his sister's uniform so she would get on her way and bring him to school as soon as possible.

"And why is Onee-chan on top of Shizu-nee?" he asked with an innocently raised eyebrow.

Just as Shizuru was about to reply with an all too happy - and honest - response, her mouth was covered by Natsuki's palm. The younger girl simply let the muffled vibrations bounce onto her hand while she straightened herself and turned to her brother.

"We were just... umm... Looking for something! Now go wait by the door, we'll be out in a few minutes and then on our way!" she flicked her hand at him to encourage his departure, sighing with relief for a second before feeling a strange wetness on her hand.

Natsuki's eyes widened as her expression twisted into one of complete dismay, quickly lifting her hand from Shizuru's mouth, noticing that the older girl's tongue was stretched out from her lips that had shaped into a grin. She left out an awkward sound, somewhat of a "Ughlyaaahh," while wiping the saliva onto the sheets to dry her palm. The blunette rolled her eyes at Shizuru's proud expression and hopped away onto the floor.

She couldn't even finish her traditional stretch before being wrapped up by the chestnut-haired one once more.

_I really wonder how someone with such low tolerance for NOT touching could be hailed as the most responsible kaichou in Fuuka Academy history._

"...Shizuru..."

"Mmhmm?"

"Don't you want to go to school and tell Kanzaki the news?"

"Mm!" she felt the nod in the back of her shoulders.

"Then you need to get dressed."

"I do don't I?" she sighed, weakly pulling herself away and walking towards the closet, "It's such a shame we can't share clothing..."

"Eh?" Natsuki raised an eyebrow, "We're around the same si-"

"I meant at the same time..." Shizuru replied with a seductive smirk.

The blunette nearly choked on her intake of air when she heard this, and actually succeeded in missing the gap of her skirt, thus tripping and falling face first on the floor. She looked around spiral eyed, wondering why such things continued to phase her, but eventually gave up on trying to figure out the impossible. It was special if it was Shizuru who said these things, even if it brought her confusion and a flustered expression, she loved it.

"How could I not... I love all of you..." she muttered to herself, getting to her feet and smiling.

With increasing haste, the pair prepared for the upcoming hectic day and got a quick breakfast before grabbing Getsumei and driving off to school.

--0--

As usual when Natsuki dropped Shizuru off at university, she was teased an incredible amount, but of course this was themed with much pre-wedding excitement. The blunette merely sighed into a happy smile, knowing how much their lives were about to change as she saw her lover skip over to her friend who was waiting by the door.

_I can only imagine what she's saying to him... _she smirked and rolled her eyes, turning her Ducati around and heading for the high school portion of the grounds. Her day was bound to be filled with excitement, and everything seemed to make her smile.

_I've never felt like this except when with her... I can't even explain why... I mean, I know it's because I love her but why it makes everything else sparkle I have no idea... _Natsuki chuckled, _Wow... I'm talking to myself in my head... this probably isn't good for drivi-_

"Onee-chan! It's Mai-nee!" the little boy cried from behind her, starling her back into reality where she realized her little daydream was about to lead her into running down her best friend, as well as Mikoto who was hooked to her back.

The blunette came to screeching halt, nearly flipping forward over the front of her bike, just a mere centimetre from a steaming furious redhead. One who took the fact that Natsuki was helmeted as a free pass to start smacking her over the head for her carelessness.

"Of all the times you messed up while driving this beats them all! You could have killed me you dope!"

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Natsuki yelled, tried to shield herself from being pummeled, "I have a lot on my mind today!"

Mai stopped her attack briefly, having a debate with herself for a second before continuing.

"Ah! What are these ones for?!"

"Getting married in high school!"

"But-! Yesterday you were happy!"

"Well I changed my mind! You're too young!"

"Who are you? My mother!?"

"... Onee-chan is getting married?" came the voice of a very confused child on the back of the motorbike. Getsumei had his head cocked to the side, blinking at the two girls in front of him who fell silent to his inquiry.

Just then, the warning bell rang, signalling that class would start in a few minutes.

"You live... For now," Mai teased before turning on a dime and running up to the main doors.

Natsuki sighed with relief and revved her engines, speeding off to the flower garden to park before bringing herself and Getsumei to the first class of the day.

--0--

"There she is!" yelled Chie as soon as Natsuki opened the door.

The blunette and her brother had to shield their eyes from all the flashes going off towards them, oddly enough coming from only one camera. Even though the rest of the students were around, none were really taking it seriously. This was just another one of the girl's "major gossip discoveries" even if this one appeared to be so spectacular her head was going to fall off.

"I swear of you don't stop blinding me I'm gonna kill you Harada!" Natsuki paused, "Or better yet," she reached out and snatched the device, "This is confiscated, come and get it at the end of the week."

Aoi was in the background trying not to laugh at Mai's jawdropped expression and Chie's one of sheer terror. Natsuki simply smirked and moved passed the frozen girl, triumphantly tossing the camera lightly in her hand. Getsumei followed in his usual light hearted, skipping manner and sat down at his spot between his sister and her friends, like the day before.

"I see you're liking your power already," Mai commented.

"Would you believe me if I told you the reason I ran was just so I could take away that girl's blasted camera?"

The redhead grinned proudly.

"Nope!"

And Natsuki smiled.

"Heh, you're right," she sighed with mirth and leaned back in her chair, blushing slightly at the thoughts that came to mind, "I'm really not myself anymore am I?"

"I wouldn't say that, you're just not your old self... And people change so it's fine," she shrugged, "I personally like the you now a lot better compared to the one I first met."

Natsuki choked on her breath and glared at Mai, trying to telepathically silence her from revealing their first encounter in front of their unaware companions.

"Yeah, I remember that time, Natsuki completely brushed you off and I remember Mai was freaking out because of how cold you were," Aoi chuckled while the two ex-HiMEs just smiled and nodded with some uneasy laughter.

_Yeah, nevermind the trying to shoot you then escaping from an exploding ferry only to be reunited and fight to our supposed doom..._

They both sighed simultaneously, but turned ahead when Midori entered... or rather, staggered in smelling of liquor.

"What the hell are you all doing here after hours!" she yelled.

"Erm, Midori-chan, it's nine in the morning..."

"Really? What day!?"

"Wednesday..."

"Oh man I'm still awake!?"

The room sighed and took the liberty of opening their books to the next page they should be on, assuming they would be reading the chapters in order. Midori took advantage of their diligence and flopped over onto the desk, taking a much needed nap while everyone else worked. Of course, in this time of silence, a ball of paper was tossed over onto Natsuki's desk. The blunette groaned and opened it.

_Of course it's about this..._

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yes I'm sure! If I wasn't I wouldn't have asked her!"_

"_No need to shout... or well... write exclamation points... I'm just looking out for you."_

"_I'm fine, really, we both are. It's just because it's sudden we haven't had time to make any official plans yet so there's not many answers for you."_

"_Alright, fair enough, you have lots of time... lots of time to plan... like... three years."_

"_No way! It'll be a year and a half at most."_

"A year and a half until what?" came their teacher's voice from behind, apparently she had been reading over their shoulders.

"Midori-chan! I thought you were sleeping!" Mai screamed, juggling the ball in her hands, trying to keep it from falling into the open area.

"I sensed something... so I got up!" the woman grinned, "Anyways what are ya talking about?"

Meanwhile the temperature around them dropped as the blunette's frigid glare towards her friend increased in intensity. It was up to Mai to think of what the note meant; but despite her best efforts to think up something realistic, the white haired child from below spoke first.

"Before Onee-chan's wedding?" he asked curiously, assuming correctly that that's what they were talking about.

Midori fell silent, shockingly, and stared the Kaichou up and down, jaw dropped and pointing loosely.

"You mean... you... and..."

"Yes..." Natsuki said, almost snarling as she glared at her brother, the rest she spoke between clenched teeth, "But I'd appreciate it if no one else knew, especially certain girls that are obsessed with _her_."

The group nodded, knowing on good authority that both Shizuru's and Natsuki's fans could get rather out of hand at times. But this wasn't over.

"Well, if you won't talk about it here, then that leaves only one place..."

"KARAOKE BARRRR!!" Mai shouted at the top of her lungs while doing a short lived victory dance before sitting back down calmly.

"No," was the blunt response, "No karaoke bar, no hooplah of any kind thank you."

"Ne Na-chan," Midori whispered, leaning down on the blunette's shoulder, "You know you get presents at all of these parties right? Think about it, I hear some excessively violent video games are coming out soon!"

Natsuki closed her eyes, actually taking the time to consider the idea. While the party would be annoying, she began to weigh out if the gifts were worth it.

"Well... Agh! Can everyone stop hovering over me already!" she looked up to see a bunch of heads above her, "Seriously, it's creepy... and all sorts of plans will have to wait until later, I have a meeting to get to."

The blunette huffed and grabbed her brother by the collar, dragging him out of the classroom and leaving behind the group of disappointed girls all wanting to know the story. They strolled through the halls at a relaxed pace. Luckily since this meeting was during class time there was hardly anyone in their way. Things were getting hectic already, and Natsuki was even more frustrated over her lack of anticipation concerning everyone else's reactions. All she was thinking about in that moment was Shizuru, it didn't even occur to her when asking that the others would surely have their opinions on it.

"Oh well... as long as no one else finds out I think I can walk around safely... without getting mobbed..."

"Onee-chan?" Getsumei pulled at her sleeve, "Who are you marrying?"

The girl turned bright red and avoided eye contact with him, looking up at the ceiling while muttering her fiancé's name. Luckily, this sent the boy into such a confused state that he didn't even bother to ask any more questions. He realized that this was getting too intricate for him and would do best to stay out until they got home. One thing he knew for sure was that his sister didn't want anymore outbursts, and he would do his part to keep the secret; though he suddenly stopped and looked down, realized what he had done earlier.

"I'm sorry..."

"Hm?"

"I didn't know it was a secret... I told everyone and now Onee-chan is unhappy... So, I'm sorry."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow for a second but then crouched beside the child, placing a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It wasn't really a secret... just... a surprise," she grinned, "I just overreact sometimes when people know things about me, but when it comes down to it they're good people, they know when to stay quiet... Except maybe Chie, but that's why I have this," she smirked while dangling the camera between her fingers.

_I kinda get why blackmail is so fun..._

Her train of thought was stopped however when the boy leaped onto her, clasping his arms around her neck in an embrace; clearly very thrilled that we wouldn't be punished for revealing the surprise.

--0--

At the usual time, Shizuru and Reito sat from across each other at a lunch table, the former smiling gleefully.

"Well...? How did your conversation go yesterday?"

"We're engaged!" Shizuru said happily, managing to both exclaim and whisper simultaneously.

"Congatulations!" her friend replied, with his own trademark bright smile, "I'm very happy for you, it's not every day that such dreams come true."

The girl nodded and smiled, well, she was already smiling for the entire day thus far, and wasn't about to stop any time soon. It really was a dream come true. For a long time she dismissed it as a simple wish, with no real weight in the grand scheme of things, if there was one. Having always believed that anything could be achieved through hard work, Shizuru was at her breaking point when she felt that such laws of happening did not apply to her love. It was then that she decided that there simply were certain sections of one's life where there was skill based events, and others with fortune based events. This was Natsuki's doing.

Shizuru knew that she did not earn the girl's love with skill, but that letting their lives take their natural course for a while ended up leading them together again. That was the assurance for her, a distorted yet happy realization of a silver lining.

_If I had never shown Natsuki my worst form... I could never feel secure that she loved me... but since she knows it, and still wishes to be with me... That's how I know it's true._

She nodded confidently to herself, and turned back to her companion, slightly out of touch from being silently consumed with her thoughts for a longer period of time than usual.

"This isn't the time to be confirming her love Shizuru," Reito said, half joking, "Indeed, you have already said yes to the proposal."

The girl sighed, either he had become so good at reading her, or her features said it all. She actually felt herself becoming like this more and more over the summer. It was unsettling, but in the same way anticipating a gift was. It made her curious, not afraid. It was like everything tense was floating away from her... in the beginning she kept reminding herself there was no need for a mask anymore, and slowly but surely she stopped having to.

"Her traits are rubbing off on me I see..."

"Don't sound so troubled, I did not mean to offend you. Only to remind you that change is not necessarily a bad thing. Remember, you were young when you fell in love, and didn't even have a normal life between then and now; you're still in the midst of finding out who you are for yourself."

Shizuru's eyes widened for a moment when a thought struck her, but soon shut them in an attempt to suppress a fit of giggles.

"What did I say?" Reito asked, trying to keep from laughing as well.

"N-nothing," she took a deep breath, "Only, the second you said, that a voice in my thoughts said, "I hope whoever _I_ am is like her.""

The boy smiled.

"You truly admire her don't you? Perhaps a separate way from being in love."

"I've always respected her tenacity and spirit, and maybe that's what led to romantic love. In any case, there isn't much I can directly do to mould this change, at least not if I want to live my life that has just taken a tremendous turn for the better."

"True! Let's not analyze this so much, there's a lot to be planned. Have you discussed anything with Natsuki-chan yet?"

"Not yet, it _has_ only been a day, and we're both busy with school. More will happen on the weekend... However there is one thing I wanted to ask you."

"Hm?"

"Would you like to be in the wedding party? As my..." she struggled to find the right word, "Man of honour?"

Said "man of honour" put his hand to his mouth to keep back a chuckle, but only for a second or two before nodding with joy.

"I'd love to!"

"...And not simply because Natsuki's will most likely be Mai-san?" Shizuru grinned when she saw her comment managed to make her friend blush considerably; though not as much, or as valuable as that of her Natsuki.

"D-Don't be silly, it is your day, I wouldn't think of having an agenda," he smiled nervously, but relaxed when Shizuru did, "Truly, I am honoured."

"As am I. I really do prefer having one dear friend as opposed to masses of acquaintances," she took a pause to check the time, "I have to go now, my class is going to start."

"Literature?"

"Yes, my favourite as you know."

Reito smirked, clearly aware of what this meant.

"You really do intend to get your money's worth don't you?"

She shook her head.

"I don't intend to sell it, but for some reason I have this... pull, inside of me. I want to be able to express it in the best way possible, even of I don't wish for anyone to read it."

"Expression is a good thing too, remember that."

Shizuru nodded.

"I will."

--0--

Notori: I just realized something amusing in my train of thought when writing this...

Both: What?

Notori: You two sleep together, two days later Natsuki proposes... -looks at Shizuru- You must be awesome! -stupid grin-

Natsuki: -smacks Notori-

Shizuru: Natsuki, that was a compliment...

Natsuki: Still... You can never trust Notori when she makes that face.

Notori: -rubbing her wound- Well now I can't make any face thank you very much!

Shizuru: Why don't you just explain what's up next?

Notori: Err... wedding plans, hilarity, Getsumei stuff, angst etc... -sigh- I so wish you two had your powers... A story without Kiyohime and Duran makes me sad...

Natsuki: Get out of your damn fantasy brain! Or at least use it in the other stories...

Notori: That's what I have been doing! Why do you think it took so long to update this one?

Natsuki: I thought it was because of you were scared of weddings?

Notori: Am not! I don't have commitment issues either way... I don't want to spend time fantasizing about a wedding without taking the other person's feelings into consideration either...

Shizuru: Are we your test couple then?

Notori: Sort of... But of course, to make this funny and light hearted, it won't be a normal wedding... Hiroshi's presence alone will be enough to make things interesting.

Nao: -grumbles- If you hadn't turned me into a whore you could have used me for hilarity...

Haruka: Me too...

Notori: Haruka! You haven't even entered yet!

Haruka: Well it's about time for a change then isn't it!

Notori: -sigh- Fine... -gets to writing-

A/N: Lalalalaaa woot woot turtle turtle... Btw, what Shizuru's doing that Reito knows about is a secret that will come up way later in the story. But don't worry, it's nothing that will greatly change the story into some dark angsty place, this will always be a light story XD.


	18. My Family

A/N: I'm glad to see some people thinking about what it could be that Shizuru's writing and well... I don't think it should be too hard to figure out, although if I say it, it's gonna ruin some oomph to the story when it comes up later so let's just put it aside for now lol. Sorry if this chapter seems drawn out, I just don't know when it will be I can write again so I need to make every situation last lol.

**Thanks to all the reviewers and readers!**

**Chapter 18: "My Family"**

As the school day went on, Natsuki sat at her meeting with Yukino and some other business representatives for the upcoming festival. There was so much work to be done for this if she wanted to make it the best in school history. Of course this meant beating Shizuru's record, which was an incentive in itself. The blunette smiled at the fact that they could have friendly competitions like these; where in any case Natsuki would put her life on the line for the girl... but she still intended to top her at what she did best.

"Yukino, how much was spent last year?"

The girl ruffled through her notes.

"A-A hundred thousand..."

"And our budget now?"

"Ninety thousand."

Natsuki nodded, looking over to the two delegates from their own businesses. Luckily they both were entrepreneurs, and so advertising was going to be key. The girl smirked confidently and spoke.

"Our entry rate is seventy-five hundred if you wish to have a stand for your company, and eight thousand if you would like one of our prime spots," she guided their eyes by pointing at a highlighted portion of a map of the grounds, "Does that sound reasonable?"

The brunette watched how the Kaichou handled her position. It was very intriguing to see. Indeed she hadn't known much of Natsuki before but, could this girl who so easily manipulated both men into paying twice as much as necessary really be the notorious truant? The girl who was famous for her frigid atmosphere and ability to turn away from anyone? As her thoughts rumbled around in her brain, Yukino mindlessly stood to bow as the businessmen left the room after signing the contract with Natsuki; who, as soon as the door was shut, flopped down into her chair loosely.

"Whoa... that was tough... But we did it! We got enough sponsors to fund us better than last year!" she threw a grin her way, "Good work!"

Yukino was taken aback by the compliment. All she had done was prepare the paperwork and do some calculations.

"Thank you but, you did the hard part..."

"Maybe... but I still couldn't have done that if it weren't for you making sure I was prepared. We make a really good team."

The girls nodded to each other before Natsuki turned to Getsumei who was sitting on the windowsill. He looked so carefree and happy, with the sun beaming down on his face... it was hard to believe that his time to stay here was almost over. The girl clenched her fist and grit her teeth. This of course also meant the time of meeting her father again after he had left to god knows where. Her brother felt that loss too, and she knew that if he were to go back he would only feel the same pain.

_What am I thinking? It's not like we can keep him... Right... As big as it sounds, just keeping him would actually be the easiest solution... but it would be running away. No... we have to stand up against him... _**I** _have to stand up against him._

"If I can't face this, then I can't marry Shizuru..." she muttered to herself.

"W-what did you just say?!" Yukino asked, white with shock as she dropped everything she was holding.

Getsumei tried not to laugh at the expressions of the two high schoolers in the room. Ironically both looked the same, frozen in disbelief, however his sister was first to turn into her usual red faced form. One thing Natsuki was really starting to hate about herself was the fact that once her mind got locked onto something she had a tendency to forget other people were around her; thus leading to such embarrassing situations. The blunette sulked into a ball onto her desk, cursing herself for letting yet another person become aware of her engagement today.

_I suppose she wouldn't tell anyone... And it will come out sooner or later... But still! Can't I keep my mouth shut for one day!_

"You... must be very happy... Congratulations," Yukino said with a smile, alerting Natsuki to look up again.

"Thanks," she smiled back, "Can you... umm... Not tell anyone though? We're kinda keeping things quiet for the time being."

Yukino nodded.

"Depending on what Shizuru wants, we may announce it officially at the festival, what do you think?"

"Well," the brunette showed her surprise for her input being requested, "You are the Kaichou, you can arrange it however you want so... It should be do-able."

"Yeah, but I mean, the idea as a whole. Do you think it should be announced there or is it not the time?"

"I suppose the timing would be suitable. The most trouble that could be caused would be by Fujino-san's fans, and with so many other people around, they wouldn't be able to sabotage you that much," she paused, "Although, it would be best if she were there with you. Perhaps she could say something that would convince them to be happy for the two of you."

Natsuki nodded, but turned her head to her brother who was still giggling to himself in the corner.

"What?"

"Onee-chan keeps spoiling her own surprise!" he was holding onto his stomach as he laughed.

"Oh be quiet! Certain people are allowed to know! And Yukino pretty much has to if she's gonna help me plan the festival for it to work right!"

"Can I come too?!" he asked with bright eyes, hopping down from the ledge.

Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

"Eh sure? Well... I don't have a problem with it but I won't be able to spend time with you since I'll be working."

Getsumei's heart sank a little in disappointment. One of his dreams of meeting his sister was to be taken around to see a carnival with tons of games and such. He understood though; he was a responsible child and knew that people had their own lives and work to do. There would be other times, he was sure of it. With his expression quickly returning to it's normal exuberance, he ginned and nodded to Natsuki.

"It's alright Onee-chan! But can I help you with it at least? Is there anything I can do?"

"Hmm..." the girl leaned back in her chair, "Yukino, is there any practical work you think he could do?"

The brunette remained pensive as well.

"He could design the banner?" she suggested, "The blank canvas is in the closet."

"Well? What do you think?"

The white-haired child's eyes beamed with joy as he nodded frantically and skipped off to where the supplies were held, earning some giggles from the two girls in the room. Getsumei was soon hard at work setting out the paints and such all in an orderly fashion before going all out and turning the banner into a work of art. It didn't look like much now, but it was clear that this kid was an artist. Even at his age he was skilled enough to give it a certain aesthetic quality, even while managing to use nearly all of the colours. He kept it contained, but still being a child, it was his nature to give endless life to his creations.

As he worked on that Natsuki went though her paperwork with Yukino.

--0--

At the end of the day, as usual, Shizuru was first to arrive home. These moments of peace were a welcome change from the loud hallways at school. Of course, it would be made complete if she could cradle Natsuki in her arms as they fell asleep on the sofa, but that was a mere daydream. The girl removed her shoes in the foyer-like area of the apartment and strode inside, placing her book bag just inside their bedroom. Even with her eyes closed, she knew the layout of this place so well that she made it to the kitchen with ease, mindlessly preparing a cup of tea for herself. Everything seemed to be going perfectly.

_I'm going to be marrying Natsuki... _She thought to herself with a smile, taking her beverage to the living room where she sat down and took a deep breath.

_It feels like when I first fell for her... this feeling like I can't sit still._ She looked down to see the cup in her hands trembling, _I haven't felt like this in years... I can't think straight... I'm just... so in love..._

Indeed that was the only way she could say it, because it was the only sentence she could formulate in her brain. It seemed to repeat itself endlessly in tune with her heartbeat. Shizuru took the last sip of her tea and placed the empty cup on the table so that she could comfortably lean back into the cushions lengthwise. Unconsciously one arm folded over her abdomen, allowing her hand to rest on a spot of her side that had always remained sensative.

Upon sensing the touch the girl opened her eyes and looked to the ceiling. Usually at times like these, all of her memories would come back, her bad memories; but not today. Instead of a frown, her expression turned into a smirk of confidence. It wasn't that she didn't care about her past, but that she had at long last established it as the past. Shizuru was taking a step forward, out of a life of worry where she couldn't count on anything and into her future with the love of her life.

Just then, a spark hit her. The girl sat up quickly and hurried to the bedroom, taking out her laptop and setting herself up at the desk. As she was developing her artistry, she had to accept that things would not be so planned anymore. When inspiration would strike, she had to act on it, that was the only way to be successful. Shizuru spent the next hour or so typing away at her story, not even noticing the sound of the door open.

"Hey, Shizuru you home?" Natsuki called, checking first in their room.

The older girl gasped quietly, surprised by the sudden presence, and quickly saved her work. She shut the screen down just in time for the blunette to come up beside her, practically crawling on her hands and knees. In fact, Natsuki was crawling, exhausted, lifting her body only so high as to rest her arms and head on Shizuru's lap.

"Did my Natsuki have a hard day at school?" the blunette nodded, "What pray tell happened?"

"I told a bunch of people..."

"Wasn't that a part of your plan?"

"Well... yeah but not all at once today... Mai knows... the gossip duo knows, Yukino knows... even that baka-sensei knows!"

Shizuru let out a small chuckle at her lover's antics, petting the side of her head for a few seconds before helping her over to the bed. (Un)fortunately, the blunette's lack of energy caused her to flop down on top of her helper. All she wanted to do was curl up on Shizuru's body and take a much needed nap. The latter simply giggled some more, and moved Natsuki's limbs into a more comfortable resting position. She then made a space for the girl to lean her head next to hers, which she did.

"Getsumei is spending the afternoon with Mai and Mikoto," Natsuki mentioned.

"Is he? Then I suppose that means we will be alone for a while," Shizuru replied with a wolfish grin.

Despite her sleepiness, Natsuki caught the teasing hint in her fiancés voice and tried her best to comply. Her attempt to get her hand beneath Shizuru's shirt only caused her to laugh. Her body was so weak and her eyes were closed, leading her to fumble around and blatantly miss her target; ending up flopping around like a lost fish.

"Natsuki?"

"Mm... Yeah..." the blunette mumbled, still trying to please the older girl.

"I was only implying that I could watch you sleep, my love," Shizuru said with a chuckle as she rolled Natsuki over other her side of the bed. In no time at all the younger girl was fast asleep, letting her body take over. The other simply smiled, lying on her side and prop her torso up with her arm while her other hand combed through Natsuki's hair before falling gently on her cheek. Even when unconscious, the touch brought redness to her skin. Shizuru chuckled and lay back down, watching intently.

_This is what I live for..._

--0--

An hour or so later Natsuki woke up to the scent of something tasty coming from the kitchen. She grinned and sat up, stretching her arms out wide before getting to her feet. The girl changed into more comfortable clothing and left her room, guided by memory of her apartment's layout. However she was rather disturbed to find that, once again, there seemed to be an overwhelming amount of people in her living room.

"Oi sleepy-head!" called Chie from the couch, already having at the blunette's video games.

Natsuki just stared wide eyed and looked around, also present in the living room were Aoi and Getsumei, who were playing against the gossip-monger. When she went further into her apartment, towards the kitchen, she was shocked, well, somewhat shocked, to see Mai helping Shizuru with the cooking while Reito and Mikoto were playing cards at the table waiting to be asked for help.

"Wh-wha...What the-?" Natsuki stuttered, alerting the chestnut-haired girl to turn around and embrace her; of course Natsuki returned it automatically.

"Isn't it nice!? Mai-san came to congratulate us and after talking we decided to have a small engagement party tonight," she looked up in her trademark thinking pose, "But then we realized that it probably wouldn't be enough for a party with only four people..."

"That's when you cancel it!" Natsuki snorted, pouting and turning away, only to get pulled in from behind. Before she knew it, a spoon came around from her left side.

"What do you think?"

The blunette sipped some of the soup that was being made and paused to think.

"Needs more salt," she commented; and without another word more salt was added to the mix.

Natsuki was left standing in the middle of her own kitchen, surrounded by... her friends. While unexpected, she started to laugh at the irony of it. Her reaction was a conditioned response to Shizuru's teasing, but she wasn't mad at all. Getting more social was only going to do her well, and these people were all important to her. Although, as with every peaceful, life-reaffirming thought, there had to be that one thing to break it up.

"Hey hey!" called an all too familiar and festive voice following the creak of the front door, "You guys didn't start without me did you?"

Natsuki stiffened her body but jerked her head around to face Midori who, surprisingly had no alcohol in hand for the party.

"Nah! We couldn't start, Kuga-san was still taking her afternoon nap," Chie said with a mischievous grin; knowing this would just add fuel to the "let's see how much it takes for Natsuki to explode" fire.

It took a very deep breath and a very relaxed look from Shizuru to calm her down. The silver lining to Midori showing up loud as always gave the girl a chance to do a head count and come to the conclusion that now everyone was present. She would be able to settle into the new atmosphere now without any changes.

"Ahem!" grunted Mai from her spot over the cutting board, "You don't even say hi!?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes and waved at her busty friend, also taking that moment to wave to the other two in the room and was met with the same greeting. It took a while, but she was finally ready to step into this party, in fact, secretly looking forward to it, so she stepped a bit towards the stove where Shizuru was and looked inside.

"So, what are we having?"

"You don't need to know," a crimson eye winked at her, "Just trust me that there's no poison in it and you already tasted it."

Natsuki sighed, crestfallen in a childish manner.

"So you're saying "Just eat it." right?" she got a cheerful nod in response, "Alright alright, I'm gonna check on people out there."

As she said, Natsuki headed into the living room and hopped up onto her sofa, sitting on the back edge behind her brother.

"Wow Harada, he's really kicking your ass."

"Shut up!" the girl fumed, "I'm letting him! And Aoi's tickling me so it doesn't count!"

"Suuuuure..." the blunette rested her chin in her palm and watched the two characters fight each other on the screen. Although inevitably with so many people she was quickly interrupted again. This time by a nudge of her shoulder by the boisterous teacher.

"I can't believe one of my students is getting married before me! This is so..."

"So...?"

"...Well... oddly cool now that I think about it," Midori grinned.

"Heh, well thanks for being supportive from the beginning unlike _some people_," Natsuki emphasized loud enough for Mai to hear in the kitchen.

"Hey! That was just normal shock! I'm perfectly fine now!" the redhead retorted from a distance before getting back to her finishing touches on the food.

From then on it wasn't much of a wait for the meals to be finished. Natsuki and the others did their part to help set up by making enough room in the living room for everyone to sit around the table. It was a strange looking preparation, half like a buffet and half like a normal dinner. All the food was placed on the table in the middle of the even circle, which spread out much wider. Each attendee took a plate and filled it with what they wished before sitting back down in the circle and taking part in the everlasting conversation.

"Anyone realize how there's only like... max two guys in our group at all times?" Chie commented.

"Yeah, when Tate's not here Getsumei takes his place."

"Where is he anyway?" Natsuki asked, turning to Mai.

"He had to leave for his tournament out of town," the redhead responded.

The group nodded in acknowledgement and went back to eating.

"We haven't gotten together like this in a while," Mai mentioned.

"Weren't you just invading my apartment a month ago?" Natsuki sneered, causing Mai to smile sheepishly and rub the back of her head.

"Seriously though," Midori went on, in her responsible way, "We haven't been together in a long time..."

"It's nice, isn't it Mikoto?"

The nekogirl nodded.

"Yeah..." Natsuki muttered, "Everyone together..." a nearly invisible tear traced over her cheekbone, "...Like a family..."

Shizuru looked at the blunette tenderly and leaned her head on her shoulder momentarily to express her love. Natsuki responded with the same motion, playfully switching back and forth between who leaned on who before Reito spoke.

"If we were a family, I wonder who would be who..." his thought process trailed off.

"Natsuki would be the dad!" Chie yelled, completely oblivious to the fact that there was one near-adult male present, though he didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah, and you'd be that annoying cousin no one wants over but has to invite anyway because we know you'll find out and get offended," Natsuki smirked.

"I would!"

"I call mother!" Mai exclaimed.

"Whoa whoa wait! If I'm the father then Shizuru has to be the mother."

"Alright fine... Godmother?"

"Err sure?"

"YEAH!"

"Ohh what am I? What am I?" Midori asked, reverting back to her immature ways.

The room fell silent.

"You're like... the big sister I guess," Mai started, "Yeah that fits you! And Reito-san is the big brother, Mikoto and Getsumei are like the younger siblings."

"They ARE younger siblings," Natsuki said dryly, "And is Midori my big sister or theirs?"

"Oh can I be yours Na-chan!?"

"No."

"Aww..."

"No wait!" Mai interjected, "That fits better and we need someone for the cool, fun aunt position."

Natsuki sighed and mumbled something in agreement, allowing the conversation to go on as it did. From that point on she really just sat back and listened. It was fun to hear everyone be so lively, even Shizuru wasn't being so quiet anymore, in a way filling Natsuki's place in the speech train. This is what she always imagined family dinners to be like, even though she was never a part of one until today. It was always her and her mother, and this was completely foreign... but nice.

The voices of her _family_ lulled her into a dreamlike state, letting her experience all sorts of thoughts; nodding every so often to assure people that she was still paying attention.

_I'm really not my old self am I, Mai? But... I'm happier... _She looked over at Shizuru, smiling and talking with the group, _...So much happier..._

--0--

Omake:

Notori: I did it! A scene with over 3 people and no stress over the conversation.

Shizuru: Yay for Notori! Come on Natsuki, cheer!

Natsuki: You turned me into a sap...

Notori: You were always a sap... I just... Set it free! -dances in land of fairies and candy with Shizuru-

Natsuki: You're both insane.

Notori: Don't say that yet, there's a lot more to come. I'm surprised I had the inspiration to continue this for this long before jumping right into the next stuff.

Haruka: Wasn't I supposed to be in this one!?

Notori: Haruka... you were supposed to be in like... five chapters ago... that ship has sailed.

Haruka: -somehow gets a hold of said metaphorical ship and pulls it back--jumps on- Now move it author!

Natsuki: ...Eh?

Notori: -still- Er. No.

Shizuru: -sitting on top of the sail- WHEEEEEEE!!

Natsuki: Aw crap!

Notori: Don't worry, I'm writing this so she won't fall.

Natsuki: Okay phew...

Shizuru: -teeters back and forth-

Natsuki: NOTORI!

Notori: -innocent- What?

Shizuru: -leans forward in a way that she "should" be falling-

Notori: Teehee

Natsuki: -fuming-

Notori: XD You _are_ fun to tease!

Shizuru: Natsuki look! I'm flying! -floating around in mid air due to Notori messing with fantasy world-

Natsuki: -palm faced-

Haruka: -at the helm- Okay! So how does this work?!


	19. Anxious Heart

A/N: To those of you who haven't heard the news, FFN has deleted "If They Were Us." I will still be continuing the story, but it's on it's own hosting site right here: www . freewebs .com/iftheywereus/. So yes, that is the state of things now; both good and bad. Anywhoo onto this story which I haven't written for in a long time (very sorry for that by the way T-T).

I'd also like to apologize for this chapter being so… well… you'll see… It's rushed and I'm not too proud of it writing-wise but I needed to get this story updated so that my mind could get rolling with it properly.

**Thanks to all the readers and reviewers!**

Chapter 19: Anxious Heart

Finally it was the weekend. Natsuki rose out of bed at a comfortably late hour and stretched happily to greet the morning. It was a gentle, cool temperature in the room, so the sun's rays didn't feel too hot on her skin. It was such a hectic week, what with proposing and all, and girl had only this time to rest. Her arms fell to her sides in relaxation when she turned to make her way to the kitchen; she could already smell something nice being cooked for brunch.

"Good morning Natsuki," Shizuru greeted with a bright smile, though something was off.

The blunette was too groggy to get it now, but she would remember to ask later. For the moment she responded to Shizuru with a hug and kiss on the cheek before going to sit at the table. Every day she would wait to be asked to help, but she always ended up in the way, so it was best to just stay on the sidelines. Getsumei was helping as usual too, taking only a second out of his routine to say hello to his sister and then going back to the project.

Natsuki was surprised to see them frying up pancakes of all things, considering Shizuru's ban on all unhealthy substances in existence.

_It was probably Getsu's idea... I'm surprised she likes him enough to let him have his way with this... It's good that they get along... _Suddenly it came to her, why all this was happening, _...No..._

Her emerald eyes gazed up from the floor to the two chefs, who were now bringing the plates of food to the table. The expressions these two held, they were sad once you saw past the smiles. It was all making sense now, Natsuki looked down at her plate and toyed with her meal, it was going to be Getsumei's last day with them.

The blunette took a deep breath and looked at them both, smiling genuinely to reassure them... even if she herself was shaking inside.

"... It'll be fine," she said, "...It will."

It was then that the boy broke, tears welling up in his eyes as he latched onto his sister's waist.

"Onee-chan! I don't want to say goodbye!"

"That's not what it is," she patted his fluffy white hair, "It won't be goodbye, no matter what we will see each other again, probably sooner than later."

"Really?!"

"Yup! Now that we finally met, I can't just let you go," Natsuki grinned, trying to hold back her own frustration at the situation.

"That's right," Shizuru added, "We will visit often, I promise," the girl smiled when the boy left his sister's side and ran up to hug her as well.

Natsuki looked at the other two softly as they finally settled into eating breakfast. They were going to make the most of this day, or well, morning. Through a bit of conversation, Getsumei revealed that he would need to return home sometime before six-thirty. The blunette groaned at herself for sleeping in so late, but she really had forgotten it was the weekend. That, and their little party last night had kept her up late.

Once finished eating, she collected her plate and utensils before bringing them to the sink and going to change. Even though Natsuki was used to Shizuru being dressed when she woke up, no matter what day it was, she still felt out of place being the only one in sleepwear. The girl came out clothed in jeans and a black long-sleeve shirt that hugged her figure nicely... as the older girl's stare implied.

"...What?" Natsuki asked with a raised eyebrow, watching with suspicion as the set of crimson orbs instantly darted away from her and tried to find focus on any other object in the room.

"Ah, nothing," Shizuru said with glowing cheeks.

"Alright... wait!" the blunette grinned and pointed at her, "You just got embarrassed! You never get embarrassed with your dirty thoughts!"

"Mou Natsuki!" the girl pouted, "How dare you accuse me of thinking such things with a child present!"

Of course as these two were playfully arguing over what the other was thinking, Getsumei remained confused and chose to sit in front of the TV and pull out the playstation. The white-haired boy happily went to play, receiving odd looks once the guardians, of sorts, had finished their antics.

"You want to play video games? I mean, we can go do anything in the city if you want?" Natsuki mentioned as she climbed over the back of the couch, landing with a light bounce.

"No it's alright," he smiled, "I'm happy like this... we can go do big things next time, right?"

"Right!" The girls said together, returning the expression and watching the boy continue his fight against a boss.

--0--

Although he did enjoy the game, Getsumei was still a child and thus easily bored and distracted. However, one way which he was relatively mature was in his next choice of activity. On his own the boy stopped playing, turned off the console and sat back down in front of the couch. He looked around shyly as he tried to formulate his request.

"Hm?" Natsuki prodded, assuming that his expression was one indicating a wish to speak.

"I... want to know more about you," Getsu said, blushing and looking away, but quickly became surprised when he was lifted off the floor and onto the couch between the two girls.

"Sure," the blunette said happily, "What would you like to know?"

Getsumei looked away again.

"That's just it... I'm not sure of any exact questions... Can you tell me a story?"

"Ah... Umm... Well what kinda story?"

"Oh! Tell me about fun times you two had together!"

Natsuki looked up at Shizuru in confusion. It wasn't so much the question that made her uncomfortable, but the thought of what she would answer. She knew definitely that there were times that made her happy, but there was something about picking a specific anecdote that stumped her. The blunette hummed to fill the silent gap, rolling ideas around in her brain until one popped into her thoughts.

"Alright, one time..."

--Flashback--

The rain had been falling all day, allowing not the slightest bit of sunlight to seep through the woolly, black clouds. A gloom lay on the town of Fuuka, and it was almost difficult for Shizuru to imagine a day without rain. The bad weather however couldn't get to her excitement for what was to come that night. It was going to be Natsuki's first sleepover, and she felt honoured that it was with her. The girl grinned as she walked through the halls of the academy towards the main doors where she could see the blunette waiting.

"Were you here a long time?" came the voice from behind, alerting Natsuki to turn around.

"Ah, no, it's fine," she was a little pink in the cheeks, "I'm going to be burdening you this evening, so-"

"Don't worry about that," Shizuru interrupted, still smiling brightly, _In fact... I can't help but feel that I'll be the one burdening you... Or perhaps I'm just burdening myself..._

"You okay?" the younger girl asked, catching the elder's attention.

"Yes? Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason... It's just... umm," she was even redder now, "Your eyes... they change when you're hurting," she coughed, trying to clear her throat, "W-whatever though! I was wrong anyways so I guess it's not true!"

Shizuru continued to smile, just as she was before, though with even more force trying to hold back her true feelings. It was a strange way she had processed her emotions, but now she wanted to break down into tears and hug Natsuki... for the latter's sake. She couldn't understand why someone so caring, to notice minute changing in her eyes, had to live the way she did. Natsuki had just so recently lost everything, and yet she had the room in her heart to care about if she was upset. It was this big heart the girl possessed that attracted her, but also what could bring her to her knees.

With a gulp and deep breath, Shizuru composed herself through thinking of the night to come and began leading the way to her dorm. Sure, it had all started with Natsuki requiring intensive help with homework before a test that would make or break her promotion to high school, but it was the thought that counted. Shizuru was glad she was needed by Natsuki, in a way she felt twisted for thinking this way, but she couldn't help it. She felt special because ever since the news about the girl's mother had gotten out, she was either avoided or, more often, pitied. Everyone was offering her sympathy in an over zealous way, which of course annoyed Natsuki into even more intense isolation; but still she had her pick of anyone to go to for help, _And she chose me... that girl who probably annoyed her too at first by surprising her in the garden. Me, who has so many things that she, unfairly, doesn't know about..._

A thought struck her then, as they continued to walk silently through the rain, huddled together under one umbrella. _What if... I tell her...? But it would seem like I'm being a burden to her, asking her for help with my problems, and she can't even fix them... No... I guess it's better if I don't._

Meanwhile, Natsuki's thoughts were spiraling as well. She was incredibly nervous, but a piece of her whispered that it would be alright. This was a big step for her, to be able to sleep in the presence of another person that wasn't her mother. She froze her train of thought, _Wait, does that mean I see Shizuru like a mother?! No no no... I mean... she takes care of me... a lot, and makes me feel safe but... No she's more like a sister._The blunette looked up at the other girl, a gentle smile coming over her features. No matter how you looked at it, Natsuki admired her, but in a different way from the mass of fangirls; she didn't only admire her, but appreciated her. Shizuru hadn't just given her a wave and continued on her way, nor did she pity her, she cared for her.

_She can care about anyone, there's an endless amount of students dying for my place... What if they take it...? _Her mind trailed down a dangerous path now, _What if... I trouble her so much she leaves and goes to find some other kid to-_

"You should start wearing a sweater this time of year Natsuki," Shizuru interrupted, "The rain is cold and you're shivering, here," the blunette took the umbrella handed to her on reflex and blinked as a light jacket was placed over her shoulders, "It's not much longer to the dorms.

Emerald eyes gazed at the girl who was now in a thin white shirt as she was pulled forward by their combined grip on the umbrella. Natsuki was speechless, only able to move because her legs longed for warmth. She wanted to thank her, but this was more than just handing over a piece of clothing that wasn't even being used... Shizuru continued to sacrifice herself for Natsuki, and managed to hold that flawless smile through it all. Accepting that the words would not become unstuck from her throat, the middle schooler simply slid her hand over her senior's and held onto it tightly.

_Thank you... for taking care of me... I... _they both thought simultaneously,_ love you..._

--End Flashback--

The room around Natsuki was silent as she finished the story. She was smiling from ear to ear at first, but gave the other two confused looks at their lack of response. Getsumei sat there confused, while Shizuru was just quiet.

"...What?" the blunette finally ventured, "It was the first happy time that I thought of! Sorry if it was... I dunno... too serious... It just came to mind..." she pouted.

"No," Getsumei looked at her with pleading eyes, "Onee-chan I didn't mean to seem like I didn't care! You just surprised me... I like hearing any of your stories!"

She smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck, muttering something of thanks before turning to Shizuru. Natsuki was even about to tease her tog et her to speak but her train of thought was broken by an embrace. The blunette remained still briefly and then raised her arms to return the gesture.

"I remember that night so clearly... We had so much fun... And never even studied at all," she chuckled.

"Yeah," Natsuki laughed too, "I kept saying things to get you off track and you went with it... I passed my test even without doing any work!"

"I like this!" Getsumei said with a bright smile, "Tell me more stories!"

"Alright, I have one," Shizuru said, giving Natsuki a teasing look, "In the winter break after the story Natsuki just told..."

--0--

The trio spent the afternoon simply telling their stories. Many of which involved Natsuki in some embarrassing situation, but there were a few that left Shizuru slightly insecure temporarily. It had gone by so fast with the three of them laughing happily that it was already past the time when Getsumei would have to be home by the time Natsuki checked the clock. Her smile faded as she looked over at the other two who seemed to be entranced in a conversation about the blunette's unique shade of eyes.

"Shizuru…" she muttered in order to catch her attention, "We have to go."

Both her fiancé and brother appeared to sink their shoulders. Getsumei remained still and looking at the floor while Shizuru took a deep breath and moved to stand up. Her calmness was the only way she could support Natsuki, and so she would do her best to act this way.

"Well then, that's what we'll do," she said as she left the room briefly to get her things.

"Come on Getsumei, we have to get you home… It'll be alright, don't worry. I'll talk to Otou-san and make sure you don't get in trouble; and if you ever need to you can come back anytime."

"Mm, thank you Onee-chan!"

--0--

"...Here we are..." Natsuki mumbled as they pulled up to the large house Getsumei had directed them to. This day seemed rushed, even though they had taken it slow in reality. Even in her mind on the way here Natsuki had prepared herself but now that it was really time... she couldn't find the words, _I guess they'll come off the top of my head..._

The three all dismounted from their scrunched position on the Ducati and stood before the mansion-like building. A part of the blunette cringed at the thought of how wealthy her father had become after abandoning her. Sure, he sent her a fair amount of money during the biggest crisis of her life, but it couldn't make up for the fact that it appeared he was better off without her. In fact, she couldn't rid that thought from her; unknowingly grinding her teeth and clenching her fist while staring ahead at the door with her brother in front and Shizuru to her side.

Suddenly she felt something soft take over her hand, soon recognizing it as that of her lover's. Natsuki gasped a little when the touch made her realize how much her anger had surfaced and then looked down shamefully. She envied Shizuru's ability to remain collected in any situation, well... almost any. At least she was calm now, and that was the main point of her thoughts. After a few seconds of still being able to ease her muscles, the older girl opted to use force to pry her fingers into Natsuki's hold, causing the blunette to for once turn away from the door and look into soft eyes.

Absorbing her fiancé's confidence, Natsuki took a deep breath and shakily reached out to knock at the door... but was interrupted. Just as she was about to make contact, the door opened and a woman with short blond hair instinctively crouched down to reach the boy's height.

"Getsumei! Where have you been?!" she yelled, thought with a hint more relief than anger, "We've been worried sick!"

The white-haired child smiled uneasily as he returned her embrace, as if he was ashamed to feel relieved. In the end, they were still mother and child, and being held close by a parent is something any child would enjoy, which led Natsuki's thoughts to ramble again.

She felt stupid now, being unable to say a word to this woman who now held her son's hand at her side and glared at her for an explanation. _I wonder if she knows me? Nah, he wouldn't have shown any pictures of me to her... or maybe...? I don't know... Damn it say something! At the very least say "We took your kid" and then escape! Haha... Wow... My scared humour really sucks-_

"Do I know you?" she said in imperfect Japanese.

"I... uhh..."

"Well? Are you the ones who found my son?"

"Not entirely," Shizuru replied, taking charge of the conversation briefly before there was a tug on her arm.

"I... I can do this," Natsuki told her, as well as herself, "Getsumei came to find me... and I..." All the good in her wanted to do the right thing and apologize for at least not letting them know about Getsu's whereabouts, even just by leaving a message on their machine, but she couldn't.

_How can I apologize to her? After everything she's done to me... how...?_

"Who are you? I still feel like I've seen you somewhere..."

_Who knows... it could have been anywhere... _Natsuki thought, starting to get angry again and trying to remember a time this woman would have seen her.

"Were you ever on the news?"

_Heh... probably... My friends and I tore this town apart once. Not that you'd know anything about that._

"Ever come by our house?"

_Hell no._

"Then where?"

It finally clicked: a time when this woman would have seen her.

"In the hospital..." Natsuki whispered, eyes shut tightly, "After my mother died! That's probably how you remember me!"

The blond was taken aback by this stranger's yelling at first, but after her own recollection, she realized it too.

"...Oh."

"Oh? Oh?! Is that all you can say to me?!" the girl's emerald eyes opened and shone with rage, "Everything is your fault!"

"Natsuki..." Shizuru whispered, trying to calm her down while holding onto her arm more closely.

"Natsuki? Right... That's your name."

"You're damn right it is!" _Wow... what a comeback Kuga... Come on, get to the point,_ "I brought Getsumei back because I knew you'd be looking for him right now... But don't act so high and mighty when you've been away for the whole time! We took care of him for you so you should be at least a bit thankful!" _Good... turn it around so it's her fault, _"You don't even bother spending time with your own kid!"

"Who are you to question my parenting methods?" the woman replied coldly, seemingly unaffected by the girl's rant, "Are you a parent?"

"...No."

"Do you work?"

"No."

"Then you have no idea what it's like to raise a child in the real world. You're still a child yourself. You also have no right to keep mine from the plans I've set up for him."

"Okaa-san!" Getsumei cried, tugging at his mother's shirt, "Please don't be mad at Onee-chan! It was my fault! I wanted to see her so I lied and went on my own!"

"Go to your room Getsumei!"

"No!" he shouted back.

"Getsu..." Natsuki muttered, "Listen... Listen to your mother right now. We have some things to sort out that I don't want you to hear. I'll be okay though," she grinned for him, "Remember, I'll see you soon. I promise okay?"

The child's lip quivered a little bit, but he left on good terms; nodding to his sister and scurrying off to his room.

"...That's all... I just wanted you to know where he was and why. I... I guess I'll leave now."

"I don't think so," the American said, "Not until you agree to never set foot on this property again."

"And that's the way it was meant to be," a familiar male voice said from the hallway as footsteps approached, stopping for a moment to speak to his wife, "Please go inside dear, this is my matter."

"Fine," she said in a snobbish tone while turning her back to the blunette and letting her father take over.

Natsuki was frozen again, staring into his eyes. All of his features were just as she remembered, albeit considerably aged due to his smoking habits that judging by his appearance he never really stopped. His short black hair was still ruffly and messy on top, while his skin was a darker tan compared to Natsuki's more milky colour.

"...Otou...san..."

"Why did you have to come back into my life again Natsuki?" he groaned, although he wasn't particularly asking her. He knew Getsumei had started this, but was more asking the world why this had occurred, "Really... You couldn't have sent Getsumei home on his own?"

"No... I don't abandon my family!" she spat back at him, "I'm not gonna lie either, but I'm glad I finally came back and saw you."

"I'm surprised you're alive actually. I don't know too much of that whole experiment your mother was a part of but weren't you not intended to survive?"

"Shut up! Like you said, you don't know anything about that! You don't even care either... damn it, you just left me!"

"What can I say? Sending money to you was easy, but really all of that HiME stuff was a burden-"

While Natsuki had been stunned frigid by her father's words, it provoked a more active reaction from the older girl. Shizuru's arm was stretched out in front of her, past the level of emerald eyes with her hand gripping the man's collar.

"Shi...Shizuru..."

"...A burden..." the girl asked, almost barely audible, "...A burden on_ you_?"

"Well..." he trailed off verbally, but still kept up his tough appearance.

"Coming from someone who admittedly knows nothing about the event, how can you say it was a burden on _you_? What she has suffered... what _we_have suffered..." her voice, unbelievably, grew even softer; so much so that no one could even hear her anymore. However there was one word Natsuki recognized. One that caused her to shiver unconsciously.

"_Kiyohime..."_

Of course, nothing happened even after that name was said, but Shizuru apparently still made a habit out of repeating it. Natsuki on the other hand, was now quite frightened for what would happen. Things were turning violent, and the brief assessment of her father's appearance told her that he wouldn't be a match for her fiancé, especially when enraged like this. The blunette continued to stare, now shifting her gaze from one to the other as they remained deadlocked. There was something though... something Natsuki knew about this that frightened her... and paired with the earlier mention of Kiyohime, what it was became clear.

Natsuki had only seen Shizuru like this before a total of three times. Those accentuated shadows she seemed to give herself along with the change in eye colour, now to a dry brown were only ever seen, _When she's going to kill...!_

"Shizuru!" the younger girl cried, grasping her lover from behind, pulling her back into a full embrace, "Please! Stop!" there was little movement, "Please... I love you..."

That did it. The only thing that could stop the chestnut haired girl when angry was indeed her Natsuki. Shizuru let out a deep sigh and pulled her hand back gracefully and then resting atop one of Natsuki's. Meanwhile her father was trying to make sense of this situation, only becoming further and further annoyed, especially by being attacked by someone he saw as "just a little girl." Now though, there was something even more frustrating to him.

"What did you say?" he grunted, "Natsuki, who is this girl?"

The blunette retracted her limbs and moved to step between her father and Shizuru.

"She's my fiancée," she stated confidently, "Not that you'd understand anything about what it means to have a family."

"What?! You're... you're a... You're engaged to a girl?!" he fumed.

"Yes, I am, and I don't give a damn what you think! Shizuru's stood by me more than anyone! She loves me more than anyone! She... she sacrificed more than you could imagine for my sake..." she looked back up, directly into her father's eyes, "And I'd do the same in a heartbeat... Ryuue!"

The man cringed at the disrespect his daughter showed him. Not treating him like a parent, or even as anyone who deserved respect, though of course Natsuki believed he didn't deserve any, at least not from her.

"I'm saying this once and for all: I will come back here, so don't try to stop me. I want to keep my relationship with Getsumei and bond with him. Whether you like it or not that's what will happen," she turned, taking Shizuru by the hand and walking back to her Ducati before turning around briefly, "But I won't ever come back for you... Never."

--0--

Omake:

Notori: -deep breath- And I already cut down your speech a lot...

Shizuru: I liked it.

Notori: Me too -happy- I just wish I could have said everything I wanted to... but I already found a palce where it will be said later... -looks to her side-

Haruka: What?!

Notori: Eheheh nothing... I don't wanna give too much away. Thigns will come when they come and that's that. -nods proudly-

Natsuki: Sounds good, but hurry up and update ITWU!

Notroi: geez we're not even in that universe and yer at me...

Natsuki: I'm just saying... your omake in this story is fizzling while there's the second best fight of the series about to happen in ITWU...

Notori: I know I know... -holds up giant sign- I AM NOT GIVING UP ON THAT STORY! PLEASE COME BACK TO READ IT IN DUE TIME! Ehehhh...

--0--

A/N: Again, sorry for the late update. I don't know why my fluff brain has gone all crummy... it'll come back once I get the intense amount of supernatural out of my system XD.


	20. Yes

A/N: Ahaha I swear I was soooo close to finishing this chapter when I got addicted to The L Word XD So sorry about that... Speaking of which, I had no idea how much the Getsumei arc resembled season 4. Haha anyways, the song that comes up in this chapter is Goodbye by Asobi Seksu... I seem to always use music in all my fics XD It's the filmmaker in me; literature misses out on the audio.

**Thanks to everyone who reads this story! I'm sorry about how long it takes me to update T-T.**

**Chapter 20: Yes**

It had finally come. It was the day of the festival Natsuki had been working on for so long. Despite the fact that she was swamped with work that was piled all over her desk, she was still excited. She had put a lot of effort into it and couldn't wait to see it in action. Both she and Yukino had been preparing for it in the student council room all day, and were now into the final stretch of supervising tasks.

The blunette took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair only for a moment before shifting forward and diving back into the papers. Just then a large man carrying a load of boxes came in.

"Excuse me, but where would you like these?" he asked.

"Oh, I'll help you, follow me," she replied, surprising him with how strong she was, capable of carrying quite a bit of the load for him.

Yukino smiled, as did the few students Natsuki passed in the halls. They found it odd that the Kaichou, who was pretty much in charge of the school, would help out with manual labour; but it was a good feeling. It wasn't to say that their previous Kaichou was unkind, but no other before Natsuki had done so. The blunette still couldn't, and wouldn't, put herself up on a pedestal over the students, and would do whatever work needed to be done. Even though there would be many who would do it for her, the girl felt it was part of her responsibility.

When she got back, Yukino was still smiling and looked over at her.

"You know, stuff like that gains you quite a bit of popularity."

"Eh?" Natsuki asked, still a bit flushed from going up and down stairs, "Like what?"

"Taking care of things yourself, and not having the executive committee do it. They like it," she paused, becoming nervous with the other girl's silence, "Ah! Not to say that Fujino-san was incompetent! Actually it wasn't her fault that the council didn't do such things, Haruka-chan would just take every opportunity to show off… You know how she is…"

Natsuki chuckled as she sat back down.

"Haha, still, I doubt Shizuru minded not having to do the work," she changed her voice to mimic her lover's, "'Why do it when someone else would do it for me?' Or something, she'd say with a smile."

The brunette laughed too.

"Indeed she would…" they sat in silence for a few minute, working, until she spoke again, "By the way, your accent is perfect; I suppose that's a consequence of living with her?"

Natsuki blushed a little at this, smiling nervously and rubbing the back of her head.

"Eheheh… I guess so…"

"Actually, you have been changing your vocabulary a bit too… I didn't really notice until you changed your voice just now but," she chuckled, "You've slipped some Kyoto-ben into your speech."

At this Natsuki blushed again, harder, and froze for a few seconds in embarrassment, "Oh my God… I must seem like a ridiculous love struck girl from a shoujo manga… Who follows her lover around like a puppy and copies them just to be closer or something like that."

"... Shoujo_-ai _manga," Yukino corrected, causing Natsuki to cover her face with her palm, "Don't worry though Kuga-sa- I mean, Natsuki. I'm sure Fujino-san finds it cute."

"Holy crap you think she noticed?!" emerald eyes widened in shock.

"Eheh…" Yukino smiled sheepishly, "Well, you know how perceptive she is."

Natsuki's head fell like dead weight onto her desk.

"Ah! I didn't mean to make you nervous! I just thought it was interesting to note…"

"I know," the blunette replied, regaining her composure, "Now that I think about it, it is funny. I always admired her and wanted to be like her, and now I'm even picking up on her dialect," she took a deep breath and straightened a pile of papers, "Now let's finish this before school ends!"

--0--

"Na-tsu-kiiiiiiii~~~!" a familiar voice chimed from down the hallway before opening the student council room door and skipping inside.

The blunette raised an eyebrow at Shizuru who practically tackled her in a hug. She was unusually happy today, but Natsuki wasn't about to try stopping that. Smiling and hugging her back, the younger girl laughed and caught her breath.

"You came to pick me up?"

"Mm!" Shizuru replied, grinning as she sat on the now cleared desk, leaning on her side in a rather provocative position and pulled Natsuki closer by her collar.

The younger girl looked away uneasily, but couldn't help becoming taken in by the kiss given to her; although she pulled away a bit sooner than she would have liked and shook her head, then spoke with a voice crackling from surprise.

"-Alone," she gulped.

"What?" the chestnut haired girl inquired.

"Not. Alone," Natsuki blinked and pointed at the brunette sitting at the desk nearby.

Shizuru looked at her fiancée, confused and then looked over her shoulder like the girl's finger had guided. She was almost as shocked to see Yukino sitting there as the latter was to see her after so long, and in such a mood.

"Ara, I'm sorry Kikukawa-san. I was caught up in seeing my dear Natsuki," though she could hold her composure a lot better than most, Shizuru was actually rather embarrassed at this predicament. In the many times she had envisioned and rehearsed her "reunion" of sorts with old acquaintances, she had never thought of it happening as she was in the middle of coming onto Natsuki. She sat up straight and sat on the edge of the main desk, crossing one leg over the other and keeping up her normal smile.

"Umm… would you… like to be alone?" the brunette asked nervously.

"No no!" Natsuki said, "It's fine, we only have a little bit of preparations left," she turned to Shizuru, "Then we can get ready alright?"

The girl nodded.

"So, why are you so cheery?"

"Because!" Shizuru beamed, "Today is the festival you've been looking forward to showing me! I can't wait to see what surprises you have in store!"

"S-Surprises?" Yukino asked the Kaichou, who quickly gestured to not say anymore.

"I didn't tell Shizuru much about this year's festival because I want her to see my work for the first time when it's a hundred percent complete," she grinned, but then gave her lover a curious, "Hey, you didn't come early to spy on my plans did you?"

"Of course not!" her crimson eyes rolled and looked away, guilty of the accusation; if only in part, "Really, I only wanted to see you."

"I'm glad… I wanted to see you too."

As the Kaichou went back to tying up all the loose ends of her project, the other two in the room had been silent to each other. Despite having spoken lightly before, now that the awkwardness of Shizuru's entrance had passed, they had moved into the awkwardness of their inevitable meeting.

Yukino was undoubtedly a little more frightened than even she expected, fidgeting constantly with her pencil. Shizuru on the other hand was catching every bit of her movements and wanted to express her regret over her past actions. Even though by now she had done quite a bit of repenting to all those whom she cared about, and even to herself to some extent; one thing Shizuru wasn't good at was handling guilt. She sighed and continued to look away from the girl on the adjacent side of the room.

Natsuki was well aware of the tension nearby and that it was on the rise with every minute spent not coming to terms with what they all knew they were thinking. Putting down her work, which she had finished, the blunette stood up from her desk and shifted her gaze from one girl to the other.

"Okay, I know this is a sensitive matter for us all, but nothing can continue if we don't lay out the facts. The most important of which is that both of you would like to move on peacefully correct?" they nodded, "And both of you don't hate the other, correct?" this time, instead of a nod, Shizuru was a bit startled at the comment. She looked at Natsuki, and then at Yukino, who took a deep breath and showed her agreement.

"You… don't hate me?"

"No…" the brunette tried to occupy herself by fiddling with papers, "You were only doing what you thought was best, and we all were… We were all saved in the end, so I don't see a reason to continue blaming you… when I only wished I could have done the same. I... I envied you for being able to protect the one you loved while I failed."

The older girl was a bit taken aback by the bold statement. To think of this shy little girl wanting to become the demon she had been was odd, and she didn't know how much of it she should take as a compliment. In the end, their discussion had drawn to a simple close. It was still too soon for them to become best of friends, if they ever would, but it was refreshing to Shizuru to know that it wasn't only Natsuki who forgave her, even if she was the most important of her victims.

With the work completed though, it was time to leave and prepare for the school's festival. Natsuki packed up her bag and carried it over her shoulder, while Yukino gathered her belongings as well.

"We'll see you tonight right?" the blunette asked.

"Ah… Umm… I don't think that would be wise," she looked away, "Haruka-chan will be with me, so… unless it's absolutely necessary, we should not cross paths."

"I see…" Shizuru muttered, "Well, I expected as much," her expression returned to a smile, "Come Natsuki! I want to take you out to dinner before we go since I know you intend to purchase far too much treats tonight."

"Haha alright alright, I'm coming," she turned off the lights and locked the door, "It's… a date."

Shizuru blinked at the declaration, but grinned contentedly.

"Yes!"

--0--

After both girls had eaten a nice meal by the sunset, courtesy of Natsuki, they strode hand in hand back to their apartment. The blunette what smiling proudly at the fact that Shizuru was impressed with their date. It was only just beginning too. The younger one had made plenty of exciting plans for tonight, and couldn't wait for it to happen.

After quickly heading up the stairs to their specific apartment, Natsuki could barely hold back her smile.

"I got you something special," she tossed her bag aside and led Shizuru to their room, covering her eyes with her other hand. Once inside and standing in front of the bed, she removed her hand, "For you."

Shizuru stared at what lay neatly on the bed, surprised indeed by the gift. Side by side, there were two yukatas. One was black with blue flowers, and the other was that very same blue, with complementing violet flowers. Both were very detailed, but the colours were soft and easy to look at.

"Natsuki… It's beautiful…" she said happily, picking up the garment adorned with her colours and holding it close, "I love it…" She pulled the blunette in close and kissed her forehead before whispering in her ear, "And I'm going to love seeing you in yours as well."

Of course Natsuki turned red at this but she continued to smile at the soft nuzzle they were giving each other. Slowly, she extended her arms up over Shizuru's shoulders and around her neck, pulling her closer for a kiss.

"Tonight is for us…" the girl whispered.

"Really?" Shizuru asked with her mischievous tone, "Then we should get dressed, I wouldn't want to miss a minute of what Natsuki has prepared for me."

The blunette pulled back and nodded firmly, returning her expression from one of serious love, to one more innocently happy. Together they changed into their traditional outfits, with Natsuki receiving some help from the older girl. Though to be fair, she only got into trouble since just as she was nearly finished Shizuru had slid her hands under the fabric to pull Natsuki into another kiss, causing the top part to fall down the blunette's back.

The couple shared a laugh and looked into each other's eyes for a solid moment before Natsuki turned away to pick up a small drawstring bag. She hung it on her arm, and then looped her other one Shizuru's.

"Come on," she grinned, "Let's have some fun!"

"Mm!" Shizuru nodded with a bright smile.

--0--

"Wow..." the elder of the two girls muttered as they stood at the shining gateway to the Fuuka academy grounds. Shizuru's mouth was gaped slightly and her eyes were wide with awe. She couldn't believe that all of this was really the school's festival. It was so elaborate and colourful, not to mention loud and busy.

"Natsuki... You've really done an amazing job..." she said, still distracted by all of it, "It's so popular!"

The blunette Kaichou merely grinned and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. Even she was surprised at how many people had shown up, but was very relieved that all of her work had paid off. However, all she needed to prove that was Shizuru's smile. Her emerald eyes gazed into the scarlet ones that were still observing the entranceway to the festival. Natsuki always loved to see Shizuru happy, even from when they first met. It was always like a special treat to see her have fun; the only difference was that now it made her heart skip beats and her temperature rise.

"And this is just the beginning," she replied with a confident expression as she pulled her lover ahead by her hand, "... Just wait until the grand finale."

"Hm?"

"Ah! Nothing!" Natsuki blushed, she didn't expect Shizuru to have heard her, "What would you like to see first?"

"Oh, shouldn't we wait for Mai-san and the others?" the chestnut-haired girl asked innocently, only to get a giggle and smile in response.

"It's a date remember?" Natsuki stepped closer and took both of Shizuru's hands in hers, "We haven't gone out alone for a while, so tonight we won't be interrupted," and before she knew it she was enveloped by the taller girl's arms.

"You are too kind... always..."

Natsuki let them stand in silence for a few more seconds before breaking it with a wide grin.

"Yes, yes I am!" they both laughed, "Now, lead the way!"

"Hai!"

--0--

The two of them roamed the school grounds for a few hours, starting off with taking in the sights of it all rather than playing much of the games. Natsuki still got in a few rounds of ring toss in, but each time it ended in frustration at the fact that while her aim was dead on, she would always throw the ring too hard and knock everything down instead of landing softly on it. Shizuru stood behind her, chuckling.

"Hey! It's not funny!" Natsuki pouted, "I want to come away with at least one win tonight! ... Even if it is a date..."

"No worries Natsuki, seeing your cute expressions is enough for me to call this the perfect date," was the melodic reply as she wrapped her arms around the girl from behind and rested her grinning lips beside her ear, "After all, your competitiveness is extremely attractive."

The blunette gulped down her embarrassment and blinked in time with the butterfly kisses that were left on her cheek.

"Y...Yours too," Natsuki mumbled shyly, "Oh look! A shooting game!" she shouted before she could fall victim to Shizuru's inevitable teasing retort to that. The girl practically sprinted ahead a few booths and then to the counter of the shooting gallery. Once more the older of the two rolled her eyes at the cuteness of her fiancée, following her path at a much more appropriate pace. By the time she got there Natsuki had already knocked down half the items effortlessly.

"You really do love showing off your skills don't you?" Shizuru asked rhetorically before sighing humorously.

"W-wait! Are you not having fun?" Natsuki turned around quickly, worried that she had gotten to self absorbed, "Sorry..."

"Ara? No no, I love watching you have fun. Although..." her attention was caught by something, "Wait here, I'll be right back."

Natsuki blinked.

"Ah, okay?"

Despite enjoying herself at the shooting game, the girl chose to wait off to the side in a more quiet area, knowing Shizuru would still be able to see her. Once one was behind the stands and walkways the noise of the festival lowered significantly. It was useful to avoid getting a headache so early in the night simply from over excitement. Natsuki had made her way to a set of rocks at the perfect height for sitting on beneath the canopy of the autumn leaves that fell gently as wind blew the branches.

On cue, Shizuru returned, the soft glow of fire light colouring her beautifully as she walked past the stands and into the forested area behind them. What caught Natsuki's attention though was that her arms were behind her back, clearly hiding something. However the look in Shizuru's eyes told the girl not to question her actions and just enjoy it. The first hand to show itself held a beautiful white flower. Jade irises followed the beautiful petals as far as they could before the flower had moved out of her field of vision, behind her, and was gently slid into her midnight mane.

Shizuru then took a moment to admire the beauty of her love, her smile a peaceful one, but then slowly turned into a more mischievous one. Natsuki raised an eyebrow as the second hand showed itself, holding two masks; one of a wolf, and one of a snake. She chose to continue remaining silent, certain that from now on any words would break the spell of intense emotions sparked by simple actions. The girl sat still as her mask was placed on her and then watched Shizuru wear her own. Taken by the hand, Natsuki was led through the grass and trees, and then through the remainder of the crowd.

_Huh...? This is the masked ball!_ She thought, taking note of their surroundings, _But, this is mostly pop music... What is she thinking?_

Natsuki didn't have much chance to keep that though, because the next song began with a fast drum roll only seconds before the main melody; upon which the blunette was swung onto the dance floor and forced to be completely extended for a moment as she held onto Shizuru's hand. She let out a gasp but was silenced with a soft kiss during the slower verse as they swayed back and forth.

_I never knew she could dance to this kind of thing..._Natsuki thought, _Hell I can't even dance to this! Oh my God we're gonna screw up so bad!_

However, just as that thought entered her mind, the chorus began and she was turned around with her back now pressed into Shizuru's front. She could feel the way her fiancée moved; even with their formal clothes on she was quite the dancer. Once more the taller of the two softly pushed out with one hand, sending Natsuki into a twirling set of steps back, and then by holding onto her hand she was able to reel her back with a spin.

Emerald eyes shone with surprised happiness.

_It looks like I'm in good hands though..._

As the song started climbing into its climax, the pair's dance also increased in momentum. In spite of her previous lack of confidence, Natsuki followed Shizuru's movements perfectly even into the final moments of the guitar solo. She was pulled in close one last time, and on the beat was dipped back. Again the girl gasped, but this time in awe of the overwhelming feelings in her heart. All she saw were her lover's eyes, and all she felt were the strands of soft hair falling at the sides of her face. The girl couldn't help it anymore. Using all her core strength she stood upright again and grabbed Shizuru's face with both hands and kissed her more passionately than ever before; and they remained entranced by it until the music faded...

--0--

Almost an hour since the couple's dance the festival was drawing to a close. The two had spent their time strolling around the pathways hand in hand, admiring the event.

"So... How come I never knew you could dance to non-traditional music?" Natsuki asked curiously as she readjusted the mask that she now wore on her sleeve.

"Hmm... It never came up I guess," Shizuru replied while looking up with her usual thinking pose.

"It was fun," the blunette said quickly, wanting to make sure she got it out before her shyness would come back, "I... We should... We should dance more!"

Shizuru looked at her with a raised eyebrow, though the curiosity was more directed at the girl's expression more than anything else. Wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders to embrace as they walked, she rested her head on hers.

"Yes."

Just then a familiar voice, Yukino's, came over the PA; calling everyone to the main stage for the final words. Natsuki's stomach did a flip as she remembered the speech she was supposed to give. This night was so exciting she had forgotten the certain things she had planned.

"You should be on your way then, I'll be in the crowd," Shizuru said as she started to step away, although she was caught by her sleeve.

"Wait," Natsuki urged, "Come on stage with me."

"Ara?"

"I want you to be beside me when I'm up there."

There was a moment of silence and then the ex-Kaichou's special genuine smile.

"Yes."

It took a while to make it past the crowd, even though they went around by the back way. Everyone was in a hurry to get to the stage to hear the words from the student council. Eventually the couple made it, albeit last as usual, but not technically late. Yukino, some members of the executive committee, and some of the night's most generous donors were also present, and going in order of importance, each began to give what speech they had prepared. The crowd was now quite settled by the time Yukino got her chance to speak, though she didn't say much. Only typical thank yous and credit to all those who helped. Now, at last it was the Kaichou's turn, and this was probably the speech she was most nervous about in her entire life.

There were so many people there, she knew that from the beginning but now they were all here, in front of her, waiting to hear her speak. A part of her considered running away right then and there, for a few reasons, but after a glance back at Shizuru's courageous way of being, she was able to look back at her audience.

"First of all I would like to thank you all for being here. This could never be done without students and the city coming to participate," she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, then gave herself a little chuckle.

_Hah... I should have known I'd throw out what I prepared as soon as I got here... I always work best spontaneously._

"Something I've come to notice about festivals is that a lot of the people attending are couples," the crowd laughed a bit, "It's true, you always hear about this kind of thing in stories right? Some places make the feeling just perfect for romance."

"Holy crap... Natsuki's talking about romance on stage..." Mai muttered to herself as she stared jaw dropped at her friend on the stage in front of her, "Wait a minute... Oh my God... She's-!"

Meanwhile Natsuki was still speaking, looking over all the people once more before looking down and stopping briefly. She wasn't frozen or afraid, but she wanted to make sure that she got this right.

"Tonight..." she took a deep breath and looked back up at the crowd, "It felt like I was falling in love with her all over again, and that made me all the more sure. We can always fall in love with each other, over and over, forever," she reached onto her pocket while turning back to meet crimson eyes.

"So now, officially... Shizuru, will you marry me?"

Both girls had tears in their eyes as Natsuki presented the fast approaching Shizuru with a diamond engagement ring.

"Yes!"

And the audience roared with applause, competing with the booming of fireworks lighting the scene around them.

--0--

Omake:

Notori: Yay you're officially engaged! Now I need to think up a bunch of wedding planning humour...

Natsuki: We were still engaged before...

Notori: I know, but now everyone knows.

Natsuki: Yeah, thanks for that by the way, now I'm gonna be killed by fangirls.

Shizuru: I'll protect you! -glomps Natsuki-

Notori: Don't worry about the fangirls... they're too annoying for me to write so they won't show up much lol. Most of your conflicts will come from within for now.

Natsuki: ...Wait... do you mean we're not gonna be happy?

Notori: ... Yeah... like I'd make you guys have a depressing engagement. No what I meant is that the humour is gonna come from a whole bunch of weird things that you guys do involving the wedding... I just don't know what they're gonna be yet so... not much to say there.

Shizuru: When is it going to be?

Notori: Still no idea, I'm a slow updater nowadays and my settings depend on the weather around me.

Haruka: I STILL WASN'T IN IT!!

Notori: Sorry! But if you're in it then there'll be some angst and possibly another bitchslap fight -laughs to herself at that-

Haruka: Stop laughing!

Notori: -Ahem- Now if you'll excuse me I'll be off to return to my ever-present quest of finding the incredible amount of erotic subtext in pokemon XP

All: ... O-O HUH?!

--0--

NEW OMAKE:

All: YOU'RE ENDING THIS!?

Notori: Just for now! This is more of putting the story on hold for a while and it will come back as a "part two"

All: ...Oh...

--0--

-.-.-The Temporary End-.-.-

A/N: Again thanks to everyone for reading. I've edited this chapter to become the end for this story. Don't freak out though, there will 99 percent be a sequel to this, continuing from here, I just don't know when it will be, and would rather have some more structure for it so the writing is better. I figured this is a good place to put things on hold for now while I work on ym other stories and come up for the plan of the sequel.


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